USC Guard Juju Watkins stuffed the stat sheet. She drove to the basket. She scored from outside. She dished to her teammates. She grabbed rebounds. She executed play calls. She adapted to the defense. 

After all was said and done, Watkins and her No. 4 ranked Trojans thrashed the No. 23 Lady Wolverines in the first of three big games for the Michigan Women’s Basketball team by a score of 78 to 58. Watkins finished with 31 points, seven assists, five rebounds, three steals and three blocks. 

Despite the loss, there were some bright spots and reasons to look ahead with optimism. 

Guard Jordan Hobbs led the team in scoring with 19 points. She is one of four players averaging double digits on the season, at 13.6 points per game. Michigan also out rebounded USC for the game, 38 to 37. 

“I’m proud of our team. I thought we responded to some adversity,” said USC Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb. “They’re a legit top 25 team.” 

Watch the highlights, on the Web: https://youtu.be/ng9JVf-yvcQ 

Next up, on Jan. 1, is the top team in the nation, the undefeated UCLA Bruins (14-0).