JuJu Watkins 'Living Out My Dreams' After Scoring 38 in USC's Upset of No. 1 UCLA

In the race for the Naismith Player of the Year, JuJu Watkins may have moved to the top of the list with a 38-point outing in USC's 71-60 victory over previously undefeated UCLA on Thursday night.

Watkins said after the game she's "living out my dreams" after leading her team to a victory over the No. 1 team in the nation.

Things hadn't been going great for Watkins recently. The sophomore star was shooting just 33.0 percent from the field in her previous six games entering Thursday.

"It has been a tough couple weeks for me," she said. "There’s a lesson in everything and I think that is to always stay joyful on the court."

In facing her biggest test of the season against a UCLA team that looked unstoppable, Watkins had arguably her best performance with 38 points on 12-of-26 shooting. Her six made threes marked her second-most in a game this season.

This victory marked USC's first win over a team ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll since beating Louisiana Tech in the 1983 national title game.

The Trojans have rebounded nicely since their upset loss to Iowa on Feb. 2. They have won four straight games, with their last two victories coming against top-10 teams (Ohio State, UCLA).

Thursday's win also moved USC atop the Big Ten standings with a 12-1 record in conference play. They have four games remaining in the regular season to hold onto that spot before the Big Ten tournament begins on March 5.