Cheryl Miller Was So Fired Up After Big JuJu Watkins Block Punctuated USC Win Over UCLA

Watkins got Miller out of her seat with an emphatic rejection in the last minutes of USC-UCLA.
JuJu Watkins and Cheryl Miller celebrated USC's big win over UCLA on Saturday night
JuJu Watkins and Cheryl Miller celebrated USC's big win over UCLA on Saturday night / Fox Sport
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Saturday night brought another big showcase for JuJu Watkins's USC squad, going up against chief rival UCLA in prime time. Watkins, as has become her habit for the Trojans, rose to the occasion. The sophomore standout put up 30 points and five assists on 10-of-22 shooting to lead USC to a 80-67 win over the Bruins. But it was Watkins's work defensively that got her fans out of their seats— even the ones who have seen a lot of great basketball.

Former USC star Cheryl Miller was sitting courtside for the rivalry affair on Saturday and got incredibly fired up following a late block by Watkins that punctuated USC's victory. After Watkins swatted Gabriela Jaquez with a minute to go, she walked back up the court and found Miller. Miller gave her an emphatic high-five and shouted encouragement at her as she walked past.

Miller, a Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer, was a four-time All-American at USC and won two national titles. She must love what she's been seeing in Watkins, who has been outstanding all season for the No. 4-ranked Trojans and hopes to lead the program to the success Miller did back in the 1980s.

If anything Miller clearly loved what she was seeing on Saturday night. What a performance by Watkins.


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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.