EUGENE, Ore. – JuJu Watkins scored 21 points to lead No. 6 Southern California to a 66-53 victory over Oregon in the Big Ten opener for both teams on Saturday.

Watkins was 6 of 15 from the field in 28 minutes, including 3 of 9 on 3-pointers, before drawing the foul. Kiki Iriafen added 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Trojans (8-1, 1-0 Big Ten).

Deja Kelly scored 16 points and Peyton Scott added 13 to lead the Ducks (7-3, 0-1).

Oregon led 13-12 after the first quarter, but USC scored the first 18 points of the second quarter and never trailed again. The Trojans extended the lead to 40-19 at halftime with 15 points from Watkins.

Scott opened the third quarter with four straight points, but USC scored five straight points right after and kept the lead at double digits until the end of the game.

Takeaways

USC: The Trojans won their fourth straight since a loss to No. 10 Notre Dame. USC returns to non-conference play over the next three weeks, including a trip to No. 2 UConn.

Oregon: The Ducks started the season 6-0 and moved up to No. 23 in the AP poll, but have now lost three of four games.

Key moment

Kelly scored to give Oregon an early 13-12 lead, but USC held the Ducks scoreless for more than five minutes early in the second quarter while scoring 18 straight points. Watkins had a seven-point run of his own during that span.

Key statistics

USC beat Oregon 45-31, including 34 defensive rebounds. The Trojans are averaging nearly 12 more rebounds per game than their opponents this season.

Next

USC hosts Fresno State on Tuesday night and Oregon hosts Air Force on December 17th.

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