South Carolina forward Ashlyn Watkins will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season due to a torn ACL, the program announced Tuesday. Her surgery will be scheduled in the coming weeks.
"Not the news we were hoping for, but we know one thing – (Ashlyn) will bounce back!" read a social media post from the Gamecocks.
Watkins got injured early in the second quarter of Sunday's game against Mississippi State when she collided with a defender. She was visibly in pain and started holding her knee as soon as she went down. When trying to get up, it was clear she couldn't put any weight on it and needed help from the training staff to get to the locker room.
An injury like this is never good, but the timing of it is a tougher blow for Dawn Staley's squad. South Carolina is 14-1 with its only loss coming against current-No. 1 UCLA. The Gamecocks ranked No. 2 in latest AP Top 25 poll, but the SEC won't be a walk in the park. While South Carolina is 2-0 in conference play with wins against Missouri and Mississippi State, it has a challenging test ahead Sunday in the form of No. 5 Texas.
Watkins is exiting the season as the SEC's fourth-leading shot-blocker at 1.86 rejections per game. She also averaged 7.2 points and 6.4 rebounds through the first 14 games.
Before facing Texas, the Gamecocks will face Texas A&M on Thursday. This is a team South Carolina can't underestimate because the Aggies are fresh off a 60-58 upset win over Ole Miss.
