USC women’s basketball star JuJu Watkins might be out for the remainder of the season after she tore the ACL in her right knee during the Trojans’ second-round game against Mississippi State.
She was at the forefront, helping USC fight Mississippi for the Sweet 16 spot, when she tried to move quickly past two defenders and was fouled. Watkins’s knees buckled, and she came down hard, holding onto her right knee in agony.
Her coach and her teammates looked on, hoping it would be something small and Watkins could return to the game, but she stayed down crying. That was when it really hit them. This was serious.
“I’d be lying if I told you that I wasn’t rattled seeing JuJu on the floor crying,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said.
“This is a human game, and so I obviously tried my best to be what I need to be for the team, but internally, it’s a lot.”
After staying down for a while, a few trainers came and took her to the locker room where she would be examined thoroughly. Coach Gottlieb, USC players, and fans hoped that they would at least get to see their star player on the court, even if it was no longer against Mississippi.
To encourage Watkins, the rest of the players fought and pulled a big margin, 96-59, sending the Trojans into the next round in a grand way.
Kiki Iriafen took the lead, scoring a season-high 36 points on 16-of-22 shooting for the Trojans.
“We just want to keep dancing, so whatever it takes is what I wanted to do. I think it just shows our toughness,” Kristen said after the match.
The energy of USC supporters was unmatched. They booked anytime Mississippi was with the ball and even booked their cheerleaders.
“You can’t tell me that the energy of the crowd and how angry they were with the other team and how much they were for our team is so much about what JuJu has given to this arena, to this program, to this city,” Gottlieb said.
