South Carolina’s Ashlyn Watkins suffered season-ending torn ACL, school says announcement Tuesday.
The junior forward was injured during the first half of the Gamecocks’ win over Mississippi State on Sunday. Surgery will be scheduled in the coming weeks, according to the school.
Watkins has been a key part of South Carolina’s deep bench over the past two years. She played in 14 games for South Carolina this season, averaging 7.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.9 blocks coming off the bench for the Gamecocks.
Watkins did not play in the season opener, having been suspended by the program after being arrested on kidnapping and assault charges in August. The charges were dismissed in November and Watkins returned to the lineup for the second game of the season on November 10.
South Carolina is 14-1 this season after Sunday’s win. The Gamecocks slipped to No. 5 in the AP poll after losing to UCLA in a stunning 15-point loss in November, their only loss of the season so far. The team has since moved back up to No. 2, while UCLA continues to reign at No. 1.
The Gamecocks host Texas A&M on Thursday, before facing five straight ranked opponents in SEC play, starting with No. 5 Texas on Sunday.
