Tessa Johnson drops 3-word motivational message for Ashlyn Watkins after Gamecocks star's injury

South Carolina women's basketball took a hit when Ashlyn Watkins was shut down for the remainder of the 2024-25 season due to a torn ACL. Her teammate Tessa Johnson provided her support on social media.

Johnson made her thoughts known on Instagram with a story post on Wednesday, wishing Watkins the best in her recovery process. She also expressed her confidence that the Gamecocks will keep performing well in her absence.

"We got you," Johnson said.

Tessa Johnson reacts to Ashlyn Watkins news. (Instagram)

Dawn Staley evaluates loss of Ashlyn Watkins

Having lost a key player off the bench in Ashlyn Watkins, coach Dawn Staley evaluated the current state of the No. 2 Gamecocks.

"I know her sisters will rally around her injury and know she will be sorely missed. I know (Watkins) will want us to go on and compete and try to win another national championship," Staley said, per Greenville News.

"She's an impact player on both sides of the ball. She's a shot blocker, she deters shots, she can play in the paint, on the perimeter defensively and offensively I think she was just coming into her own. I thought she was blossoming the right way."

Watkins' season comes to an end after 14 games, where she was averaging 7.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and a team-high 1.9 blocks per contest. She shot 51.2% from the field and 68.2% from the free-throw line.

No. 2 South Carolina boasts of a 14-1 record on the season, cruising with a nine-game winning streak. They are putting up 82.5 points on 46.9% shooting overall and 35.4% from beyond the arc, dominating opponents by a margin of 27.2 points per game.

Even though they don't have a scorer putting up 20 points per game, their defense has been a major highlight of the Gamecocks' success. They limit opponents to 55.3 points on shooting splits of 35.3% overall and 32.8% from downtown.

Te-Hina Paopao leads South Carolina in scoring, producing 11.6 points, 2.6 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals per contest.

After today's matchup against Texas A&M, their first without Ashlyn Watkins, the No. 2 Gamecocks will remain at home when they host the No. 5 Texas Longhorns at the Colonial Life Arena on Jan. 12 at 1 p.m. ET.