LOS ANGELES — USC is headed to the Sweet 16, but it might have to do it without their star player.
JuJu Watkins suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first quarter of Monday night’s second-round game against Mississippi State, the program confirmed. The hometown star went down and immediately grabbed her knee as she grimaced in pain. She was carried off the court and didn’t return.
USC shared on social media that Watkins will undergo surgery and begin rehabbing the injury.
Other than Watkins’ injury, the night couldn’t have gone better for the Trojans. They blitzed the Bulldogs from the jump with relentless defensive pressure and the offense seemed like it couldn’t miss. USC won 96-59 to advance to its second consecutive Sweet 16, where it will face Kansas State.
Kiki Iriafen led the Trojans with a monster 36-point game with nine rebounds.
FOLLOW THE MADNESS: NCAA women’s basketball scores, schedules, teams and more.
“We just wanted to keep dancing so whatever it takes is what I wanted to do, what my teammates wanted to do,” Iriafen said postgame on the ESPN broadcast. “I think it just shows our toughness. I loved how we played today, we were super aggressive. I think that helped us win this game today. “We’re not losing. We’re not losing at Galen. We’re getting to Spokane. It’s my senior year and I didn’t want it to end today. So I think that was my motivating factor.”
Here are the highlights from the final game of the second round in the women’s NCAA Tournament.
JuJu Watkins injury update
Watkins was on a fast break early in the game when she became entangled with a Mississippi State player. She immediately went down, grabbed her right knee and was visibly in pain. Medical staff came to assist as the crowd inside the Galen Center went silent. Watkins was carried off the court and she did not put any weight on her knee. USC announced Watkins was being evaluated by USC Keck Medicine staff.
“She’s getting seen by our great medical team,” Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said of Watkins’ injury on the ESPN broadcast. “And just that we have a group and a fanbase and a team that’s going to have her back no matter what. She gives this community and all of us so much, so we’ve got her back, no matter what it is.”
USC women’s basketball score, highlights vs. Mississippi State
USC didn’t break the century mark, but the Trojans won 96-59.
Kiki Iriafen stats
USC forward Kiki Iriafen went off for 36 points on 16-of-22 shooting. She also collected nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks. “I’m just super happy that we’re still dancing,” she said after the game.
Kiki Iriafen on JuJu Watkins injury
“She’s a key piece for us. But we don’t want to let her down, we don’t want to let all of our fans down,” Iriafen said on the postgame broadcast. “Just keeping our foot on the gas, trusting everything our coaches have for us and knowing we’re more than capable to win this game.
When asked if she had a message for Watkins, Iriafen said: “We wish her well wishes and we’ll see what happens.”
Rayah Marshall blocks, stats today
USC center Rayah Marshall tallied four blocks against Mississippi State, giving her 300 career blocks. She joins Cheryl Miller and Lisa Leslie as the only players in USC history to achieve the mark. Marshall also scored 12 points, grabbed nine rebounds, dished out three assists and snatched two teals.
USC closing in on big victory
The Trojans are putting the finishing touches on a near perfect effort against Mississippi State. USC has emptied the bench and leads 95-51 with four minutes left.
USC 75, Mississippi State 42 after 3Q
USC senior Kiki Iriafen is taking charge of the Trojans, who have a 75-42 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Iriafen is up to a season-high of 31 points though three quarters and is 10 points away from her career-high of 41, which she posted last year in the 2024 NCAA Tournament while playing with Stanford. Iriafen is shooting an efficient 14-of-19 from the field and added five rebounds, two blocks and two assists to her stat line. USC’s Rayah Marshall and Kennedy Smith have also reached double-digits in scoring.
Meanwhile, Mississippi State is struggling to get much going offensively. The Bulldogs are shooting a combined 28.6% from the field and are 2-of-8 from three. Jerkaila Jordan has a team-high 17 points.
USC 50, Mississippi State 27 at halftime
The Trojans head into the locker room with a 23-point lead heading into halftime, but all eyes are on the status of star JuJu Watkins. Watkins exited the game in the first quarter with a knee injury. Kiki Iriafen stepped up in Watkins’ absence and leads the Trojans with 15 points and four rebounds. USC is collectively shooting 54.8% from the field and 5-of-13 from three. Mississippi State Jerkaila Jordan is the only Bulldog in double digits, scoring 11 points in the first half. The team is collectively shooting 26.7% from the field and are 0-of-3 from three.
Malia Samuels injury: Another USC player hurt
The Trojans got another injury scare in the second quarter when guard Malia Samuels took some hard contact on a layup attempt. She appeared to hit her shoulder and head on the court. Medical staff came to assists her and she appeared to say she was fine. She went back to the locker room and later returned to the game.
USC 28, Mississippi State 8 after 1Q
The Trojans jumped out to an 11-0 first quarter lead, dominating the opening minutes before some fans had even settled in their seats. USC was up 13-2 when star guard JuJu Watkins left the game with what appeard to be a severe knee injury. The Trojans then boosted the lead to 17-2, before the quarter ended with the score 28-8.
Juju Watkins knee injury: USC star goes down in first quarter
JuJu Watkins has been injured minutes into USC’s women’s March Madness game against Mississippi State that tipped off at 10 p.m. ET.
Watkins was on a fast break when she collided with a Mississippi State player. She immediately went down, grabbed her knee and was visibly in pain.
Medical staff came to assist and they carried her off the court. She did not put any weight on her knee.
USC vs. Mississippi State underway
The ball has tipped at the Galen Center and the Trojans are off to a hot start. USC’s Talia von Oelhoffen drilled the first bucket of the night to start a 9-0 run for USC three minutes into the contest.
Where to watch USC vs. Mississippi State: TV channel, time
- Game Day: Monday, March 24, 2025
- Game Time: 10 p.m. ET
- Location: Galen Center in Los Angeles
- TV Channel: ESPN
- Live Stream: Fubo – Watch Now!
Watch USC vs. Mississippi State on Fubo (free trial)
USC vs. Mississippi State odds
Odds via BetMGM as of Sunday, March 23.
- Spread: USC -17.5
- Moneyline Favorite: USC -3000
- Moneyline Underdog: Mississippi State +1200
- Total: 147.5
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