The Associated Press national player of the week in women’s basketball for Week 7 of the season:
JuJu Watkins, USC
The sophomore guard shined in the Trojans’ 72-70 victory over UConn, scoring 25 points with six rebounds, five assists and three blocks. She had 15 points in the first half and then had a key assist down the stretch to give USC the lead for good.
Runner-Up
Aneesah Morrow, LSU. The senior forward averaged 21.5 points, 16 rebounds and 3.5 steals in the Tigers’ two victories over Seton Hall and UIC. The Illinois-Chicago game was a homecoming for Morrow, who leads the nation with 12 double-doubles and 14 rebounds per game.
Honorable Mention
Haley Cavinder, Miami; Sammie Puisis, South Florida; Emma Ronsiek, Colorado State.
Keep an eye on
Gardner-Webb guard Ashley Hawkins broke the Big South single-game scoring record with 47 points in a triple-overtime loss to Queens. She also had six rebounds, five assists and six steals. She scored 35 points in regulation and added 12 more during three overtime periods, playing 52 of 55 minutes, including all 15 in overtime. She also sank two clutch free throws with five seconds left in regulation to put the Runnin’ Bulldogs up by two and then hit a buzzer-beating layup in the first overtime to keep the game going.
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