JuJu Watkins Breaks Caitlin Clark’s College Basketball Record
USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins has quickly become one of the top players in women’s college basketball. In just her sophomore season, she has broken a significant record previously held by WNBA star Caitlin Clark.
During her freshman year in 2023-24, Watkins averaged 27.1 points per game, which was second in the nation behind Clark’s 31.6 points per game in her final season at Iowa. On Friday, Watkins achieved a major milestone in USC’s fourth game of the season, a matchup against the Santa Clara Broncos.
Before the game, Watkins needed just 16 points to become the fastest Power Five player in women’s college basketball history to reach 1,000 career points. She hit a two-point jump shot in the third quarter of the game to reach the mark in her 38th career game, breaking the previous record set by Caitlin Clark during her sophomore year.
Clark reached 1,000 points in her 40th career game, playing against the Evansville Purple Aces on January 2, 2022. Other notable players who achieved the 1,000-point milestone quickly include Kelsey Mitchell of Ohio State (41 games) and Chennedy Carter of Texas A&M (44 games).
Watkins, who was named a unanimous All-American for the 2023-24 season, has continued her strong performance this year. Before the Santa Clara game, she was averaging 21.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. Thanks to her efforts, USC is off to a perfect 3-0 start to the season, including a season-opening win over No. 20 Ole Miss.
While it may be a challenge for Watkins to match Caitlin Clark’s career scoring total of 3,951 points—the most in college basketball history for both men and women—if she continues to perform at this level, she could make a run at the record over the course o
f her career.
