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

Nothing can stop the USC sophomore phenom from getting buckets.

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.

Juju Watkins rolls her ankle and still hits the 3 right after pic.twitter.com/MTOsy9CoBc

— Shabazz 💫 (@ShowCaseShabazz) March 22, 2025

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.

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