What happened to Ashlyn Watkins? Know more about South Carolina star's season-ending injury

Ashlyn Watkins has played a solid role off the bench for the No. 2 South Carolina women's basketball team, helping them to a 14-1 start to the season. However, a severe injury will keep her out for the rest of the season.

Watkins suffered the injury during the first half of Sunday's game against Mississippi State. She collided with a defender early in the second quarter and fell to the hardwood. She could not put any weight on the injured leg as team staff helped her to the locker room.

On Tuesday, the program announced that Watkins tore her ACL and she will have surgery in the coming weeks.

"Not the news we were hoping for, but we know one thing – will bounce back!" read a post from the team's social media account.

How losing Ashlyn Watkins affects South Carolina

With her season over, Ashlyn Watkins finishes with a stat line of 7.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game after 14 appearances. She shot 51.2% from the field and 68.2% from the free-throw lines, providing her effectiveness off the bench.

Losing her shot-blocking ability is a significant blow to the No. 2 Gamecocks. She was fourth in the SEC in blocks per game and the team will have to look for other players to make up for that gap.

After 15 games, the team is averaging 82.5 points on 46.9% shooting from the field and 35.4% from beyond the arc. Their defense, limiting opponents to 55.3 points on shooting splits of 35.3% overall and 32.8% from downtown, has allowed them to have a dominant winning margin of 27.2 points per game.

Their ability to crash the glass and make stops on defense presents them as one of the most potent teams in women's college basketball. They grab 43.4 rebounds with a convincing margin of 11.5 more than their opponents, and make 16 stocks (steals and blocks) on the defensive side of the ball.

The Gamecocks will have to move forward without Ashlyn Watkins' presence, preparing for their first game without her against Texas A&M at the Colonial Life Arena on Jan. 9 at 5 p.m. ET.