In a sold-out Pauley Pavilion, with blue-clad fans stretching up to the last row in the rafters, UCLA ascended to cloud nine.
The No. 2 Bruins won their ninth straight against rival No. 6 USC on Saturday at Pauley Pavilion, surviving 71-64 despite a 27-point outburst from USC star freshman JuJu Watkins in front of UCLA’s first sellout in the women’s basketball program history.
Watkins fought through UCLA’s physical defense on seven-of-24 shooting with 11 rebounds and two assists. Grad transfer McKenzie Forbes, who poured in a career-high 35 points last week against Long Beach State, scored 23 points.