Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Tom Dierberger

JuJu Watkins Battling Through Rolled Ankle to Drill Three-Pointer Was So Tough

Watkins tallied 22 points in the Trojans' win over UNC Greensboro on Saturday. | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Nothing can stop USC sophomore phenom JuJu Watkins from getting buckets.

Midway through the third quarter of the No. 1 seed Trojans' 71–25 rout of No. 16 seed UNC Greensboro, Watkins appeared to roll her left ankle while driving to the basket. Watkins hobbled behind the hoop for several moments before realizing USC center Clarice Akunwafo had corralled the offensive rebound.

Not missing a beat, Watkins hobbled to the three-point line, caught a pass from teammate Kayleigh Heckel, and drilled a trey with a hand in her face.

That's a superstar sequence right there.

Watkins did exit the game and limped into the locker room to get her ankle checked out, but she was back on the floor several minutes later in the third quarter. She also was seen clutching her left hand throughout the game but still played through it.

In 28 minutes on the court, Watkins tallied a game-high 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting to go along with eight rebounds, three steals and two assists.

No. 1 seed USC advances to battle either No. 8 seed Cal or No. 9 seed Mississippi State in the round of 32.


More March Madness on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as JuJu Watkins Battling Through Rolled Ankle to Drill Three-Pointer Was So Tough.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.