Mississippi State vs. USC women's basketball box score, stats, game summary and more ft. JuJu Watkins

Even in the midst of an impressive 96-59 win over No. 9 seed Mississippi State, top-seeded USC likely suffered a bigger loss. Superstar guard JuJu Watkins went to the floor with an apparent right knee injury in the first quarter of the game. USC will move on to the Sweet 16, but suffice it to say that Watkins' status moving forward is questionable.

Mississippi State vs. USC Box Score

Mississippi State

Player	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF
M. Okot	8	6	0	2	0	2	2
D. DeShields	0	1	2	1	0	3	4
D. Powe	2	3	1	0	0	1	3
J. Jordan	17	6	0	2	0	0	3
E. Russell	11	3	1	1	0	4	1
Q. Montague	2	1	0	2	0	0	3
K. Thomas	4	5	1	1	0	1	2
D. McPhaul	10	3	3	2	1	3	4
C. Prater	5	2	1	2	2	6	1

USC

Player	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF
K. Iriafen	36	9	2	0	2	3	2
R. Marshall	12	9	3	2	4	2	1
K. Smith	10	5	1	5	1	3	1
J. Watkins	3	1	2	0	0	1	0
T. Von Oelhoffen	3	3	6	1	0	2	2
V. Iwuchukwu	0	1	0	0	0	0	1
C. Akunwafo	0	5	0	0	1	1	2
B. Shamblin	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
A. Howell	18	1	6	0	0	0	2
K. Heckel	13	1	6	2	0	1	1
R. Forestier	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
M. Samuels	0	2	3	3	0	1	3
A. Gayles	0	0	0	0	0	1	0

Mississippi State vs. USC Game Summary

USC led 13-2 midway through the first quarter when Watkins, who already had three points, was fouled on a fast break by Mississippi State's Chandler Prater. The foul was not a particularly physical one, but in her move toward the basket, Watkins's right knee buckled under her. The sophomore star, noted for her durability as well as skill, was helped from the floor and could not return.

USC led 28-8 after the first quarter and was never challenged. The margin was at 50-27 at halftime. Mississippi State pulled within 54-34 on a Madina Okot jump shot, but USC answered with a 10-0 to force the lead to 30 points. The Trojans led 75-42 after the third quarter and were able to cruise to victory from there.

Watkins had three points and two assists before her premature exit from the game. In her absence, USC was led by Kiki Iriafen, who had 36 points and nine rebounds. Avery Howell had 18 points and six assists off the bench, including four 3-pointers. Kayleigh Heckel added 13 points and six assists. Rayah Marshall tallied 12 points and Kennedy Smith chipped in 10 points.

State was led by Jerkaila Jordan who had 17 points and six boards, but shot just 6-for-24. Eniya Russell added 11 points and Destiny McPhaul added 10 more.

USC shot 52% for the game, while Mississippi State shot just 31%. The Bulldogs also committed 20 turnovers.

USC will face No. 5 seed Kansas State in Spokane on Saturday. With a victory there, the Trojans would face the winner of No. 2 seed UConn and No. 3 seed Oklahoma for a spot in the Final Four. Much of the talk of the next few days figures to center on Watkins and her uncertain status.