In South Carolina's 85-52 drubbing of TCU on Sunday, Ashlyn Watkins nearly stole the show in the first quarter. At the 1:20 mark, the junior forward picked off a steal from TCU guard Madison Conner and cleared the fast break for a breakaway slam with 6-foot-7 TCU stalwart Sedona Prince trailing her.
This was Watkins' third college career dunk and the moment even got to Gamecocks' alumna Aliyah Boston, now with the Indiana Fever. Boston, who joined NBC Peacock as an in-studio analyst in October, was seen jumping during the dunk according to Meghan McKeown on Monday's episode of NBC's "Got Next with Meghan and Zora" podcast.
"Aaliyah Boston, our co-worker at NBC Peacock, was at the game and you can see her also jumping simultaneously with Ashlyn for the dunk. It's awesome." (1:30)
Co-host Zora Stephenson also shared her two cents on Watkins' one-handed jam:
"I loved it for so many reasons. ... It was the way in which she did it. It wasn't just dunking in transition. You see Sedona Prince right there? That's a 6'7 center. This was a contested dunk that she did. She didn't have a lot of time to think about it and it almost looked casual too." (0:55)
Ashlyn Watkins helped her team secure the win with six points, two rebounds, an assist, two steals and one block. The 6-foot-3 swingman season averages now sit at 7.3 points, 5.3 boards, an assist, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks.
McKeown and Stephenson on Ashlyn Watkins' Gamecocks
After a 77-62 loss to the UCLA Bruins in November, South Carolina (9-1) has since won their last four games.
"What's impressive to me is just the balance that they have right now," McKeown said. "You have four different players scoring double figures. ... The fact that nobody in this game against TCU played over 25 minutes. ... I just loved what you're seeing right now overall, the depth and the balance." (2:05)
Stephenson echoed her co-host's sentiment:
"This is one of those teams, any given night, any player can go off. ... Because they have so many weapons like you said, multiple players scoring in double figures. Since they lost to UCLA, the average margin of victory for the Gamecocks is 33 points." (2:35)
Whatever pep talk coach Dawn Staley gave her team after falling to the Bruins, it seems to have worked. Looking like a well-oiled machine, the Gamecocks and Ashlyn Watkins are on a sure-fire path to March Madness.
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