The Galen Center was buzzing with excitement as the No. 1 seed USC Trojans took on the ninth-seeded Mississippi State Bulldogs in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
However, what should have been a night of celebration was overshadowed by a devastating blow to the team. Star guard JuJu Watkins suffered a serious knee injury early in the first quarter, an incident that left the crowd in stunned silence. It was later confirmed that Watkins had torn her ACL, ruling her out for the remainder of the season.
Everything Lindsay Gottlieb Said After the Victory
The team overpowered No. 9 seed Mississippi State in a commanding 96-59 victory. Following the game, USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb, along with standout players Kiki Iriafen and Avery Howell, addressed the media in the postgame press conference. Coach Gottlieb opened the session by addressing the elephant in the room—JuJu Watkins’ injury.
“Thank you guys for being here,” Gottlieb said.
“I don’t have an update on JuJu because I know that’s what you all want to know, other than the statement that was put out at halftime. She’s getting incredible medical care from our, you know, Keck Medicine and the people at USC, along with our trainers and doctors.”
Gottlieb made it clear that neither she nor the players had any further updates regarding Watkins’ condition and asked for respect on that front.
“So the players don’t have any update either, so respectfully, I’d ask you not to ask them something that they don’t know. But I—I mean, I’m feeling a lot of emotions, obviously,” she added.
Despite the emotional toll of losing their star player, the Trojans put together an impressive performance. Gottlieb emphasized how proud she was of her team for stepping up in the face of adversity.
“But the biggest one is pride. What a performance by this group. When you throw a bunch of talented people on a team, it doesn’t become a team until you work through some things.
“And I always thought throughout the year that if we had something we had to work on, it would be when things didn’t go right right away; we sometimes stressed out. And how about this? You know, something didn’t go right for us. You never want anyone to go down, especially someone like JuJu, that we all lean on in so many ways,” Gottlieb continued.
With Watkins sidelined, USC needed its other key players to rise to the occasion, and Kiki Iriafen delivered spectacularly. Iriafen took over the game, finishing with a season-high 36 points on an impressive 16-of-22 shooting performance.
“…This team rallied. They rallied for her. They rallied for each other. Our fans had our back. I’m just really proud, and I think we showed what kind of team we are,” Gottlieb said.
“Credit to Mississippi State for getting to this point, but I think what you saw here was a really good, determined team that had something to play for, and you saw the results,” Gottlieb continued.
“Kiki was unbelievable, Avery [Howell] as well, and it was a true team effort. I don’t think I’ll forget this night for a lot of reasons.”
After Gottlieb spoke, Iriafen was asked about how the team managed to bounce back after witnessing Watkins in so much pain.
“Just really rallying and doing whatever we can to make sure that we could get out of getting—” she started before pausing, clearly emotional about the moment.
Mississippi State came into the game with an aggressive approach, trying to disrupt USC’s rhythm. When asked if they expected the game to be as physical as it turned out to be, Howell responded confidently. She said:
“I think we expected the game to be pretty physical. Obviously, they’re a really good team, and we knew that they were going to come with a lot of different aspects to their game to try to stop us in any way they could.”
She also added, “But I think that our team came in with a mindset that we’re not going to get punked by anyone. We were ready for whatever they threw at us—in any form, offense, switching up what we were running, defense, putting on our press, or taking it off.
“I think we knew that they were going to be pretty physical, but I think that we handled it really well.”
Despite Mississippi State’s efforts to make the game tough, USC responded with teamwork and precision. The Trojans racked up 29 assists on the night, an incredible stat that highlighted their unselfish play. Iriafen addressed this when asked about the team’s ball movement.
USC’s Fans Provide an Electric Atmosphere
“I think today was really just a team effort. The ball was electric. We were moving that ball. We were passing that ball, and I think that’s what makes the win so grand,” Gottlieb noted.
“I feel like this team—we’re just trying to do whatever we can to keep it going, and I think we’re very unselfish. You could really see that today, and it makes it super fun when everybody’s able to contribute. I think we had a lot of energy, and our fans today were incredible, so that was an extra sixth man.”
USC’s home crowd significantly fuelled the team’s dominant performance. Iriafen spoke about the energy in the arena and how much it meant to the team.
MORE ON JUJU: Star USC Guard Juju Watkins Tears Her ACL in Second-Round NCAA Tournament Game
“I think it just shows how ride-or-die our fans are, and we really appreciate them. I wish we could take them to Spokane and everywhere else with us. We’re super grateful for that, and I think as a one-seed, that’s what you’re most grateful for—having your fans behind you because it could really be like the edge-tipping thing when you’re in close games.”
She also added, “I think they gave us a lot of energy, especially when things weren’t going our way at the beginning. So it was nice to have a packed house.”
With the win, the Trojans punched their ticket to the Sweet 16, where they will face No. 5 seed Kansas State in Spokane, Washington. The game is scheduled for Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
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