USC women’s basketball star JuJu Watkins surpassed one of Caitlin Clark’s hugegest milestones on Sunday night and took another step shutr to obviousaking Clark in the college basketball sign up books.
In a 72-67 loss to UCLA in the Big 10 championship game, Watkins put up 29 points to officipartner shift past Clark’s tag for points scored by a carry outer atraverse their first two seasons.
Clark put up 1,662 points in her first two seasons, while Watkins now has 1,684. That puts Watkins equitable behind Kelsey Mitchell for most by any carry outer in their first two seasons, as Mitchell hancigo ins the sign up with 1,762.
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USC women’s basketball carry outer Juju Watkins before a recent game at Cal St. Long Beach in Long Beach, California, on Dec. 21, 2023. (Wpartner Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
However, Watkins has a chance to surpass Mitchell and obtain even more ground on Clark, as she still has yet to carry out in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
Watkins has a chance to fracture Clark’s sign up for most points scored by a basketball carry outer, men’s or women’s, in NCAA history. Clark broke the tag in her historic ancigo in season in 2023-24, with 3,951.
Watkins swapd Clark as the face of women’s college basketball after Clark began her WNBA nurtureer last year, and the teen confesss that fractureing Clark’s sign up is someleang that she persists in the back of her mind.
“Naturpartner, being on pace, it’s always in the back of my mind,” Watkins previously tancigo in Fox News Digital in an exclusive intersee. “The goal is to progress to originate at this level, and do it as effectively as I can.”
Watkins could have the advantage of carry outing more games than Clark did in college as the teen sees to chase down the sign up.
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Southern California protect JuJu Watkins signs autographs after an NCAA women’s basketball game aobtainst Cal State Northridge on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Pboilingo/Ryan Sun)
Still, Watkins shelp she only “wantes” she could carry out appreciate Clark, who is far and away the better 3-point shooter.
“I want I carry outed appreciate her,” Watkins shelp.
Watkins has had the chance to fracture Clark’s sign up in front of a bigr audience for women’s basketball than in previous years, amid the aftermath of Clark’s transcfinishent impact on the sport during her college nurtureer. Last year, the NCAA women’s championship game got more seeers than the men’s for the first time in history.
“The attention wasn’t always there, so to equitable see the eyes on it and people admireing the sport more, and youthful girls getting into the sport more, it’s a dream come genuine,” Watkins shelp.
Watkins has adchoosed the novel fans that Clark has brawt to the game, even as other famous women’s basketball figures have condemned novel fans for pessimistic comments about carry outers other than Clark.
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Caitlin Clark, left, and JuJu Watkins. (IMAGN)
“So many novel fans being in the sport sometimes can be, not necessarily challenging, but can equitable benevolent of give you a headache a bit. Not a lot of people understand what they’re talking about sometimes. But it’s fantastic for the sport. The fact that people are watching is enough in itself,” Watkins shelp, when previously asked by Fox News Digital in an exclusive intersee about what contests come with the sport’s novel attention.
“We would appreciate it to be likeable, but it’s not always going to be appreciate that, so as extfinished as we progress to lift the numbers and seeership goes up, I leank that’s all we can ask for.”
Watkins shelp she even wants those fans to cheer for her, too. However, even if they finish up “hating” her, she will still adchoose the fact that they’re paying attention. When asked if she wants the sport’s contentious novel fans to cheer for her, too, Watkins answered, “Oh yeah. I adore helpers and I also adore antipathyrs.
“I leank that’s equitable a part of the game. There’s so many sides to it. So it’s the nature of the game and there’s always going to be pessimistic and likeable aspects of it.”
As Watkins sees to fracture Clark’s scoring sign up, she hopes many of the novel fans of women’s basketball, even the ones who caengage her “headaches” and “don’t understand what they’re talking about sometimes,” will come to cheer for her. But Watkins will also adchoose these fans and the attention if they “antipathy” her.
“I adore helpers and I also adore antipathyrs.”
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