USC's NCAA Tournament victory on Mississippi State On Monday was problematic for the Trojan horses in two ways.
Not only did they lose star Juju Watkins on a seasonal knee injury, but the top placed March Madness powder also had a heated confrontation with the bulldogs in the handshake line after the game.
Immediately after the 96-59 victory over the eighth state Mississippi State, USC Center Rayah Marshall was recorded by Ben Golliver of the Washington Post who tried to confront Bulldogs players.
Assistant coach Wendale Farrow throws his arms to throw her 6-foot-4 awareness during Marshall's furious attempts to flank the crowd and to go into the players of Mississippi again.
The cause of the skirmish remains unclear. Dailymail.com has contacted spokespersons for both the Basketball programs of the USC and the Mississippi State Women's.
The moment was a pity for Marshall, a senior from Los Angeles, who played in her last game in the Galen Center of USC.
Teammates and USC assistant Wendale Farrow all tried to solve a furious Rayah Marshall
USC's Rayah Marshall finished with 12 points and nine rebounds in just 21 minutes
The incident of Marshall was of course hardly the biggest care for USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb.
“I would lie if I told you that I wasn't rattling that Juju saw lying on the floor and crying,” said Gottlieb.
Watkins, one of the biggest stars in women's basketball, aimed to the basket chased by two defenders when her knee bowed awkwardly when she planted her right leg, the contactless injury that writhed on the floor. She grabbed her knee and wriggled with pain while her teammates surrounded her.
The crowd in Galen Center stopped when Gottlieb and two other USC staff employees attended the 19-year-old Watkins, a second-year student of 6 Foot-2 who is on average 24.6 points. She was taken by several people with the Trojan horses who led 13-2.
Later a spokesperson for the team said Watkins will undergo surgery and then starts with rehabilitation.
“My prayers and thoughts are at Juju,” said MSU coach Sam Purcell. “Of course we are competitors and you never want to see that, especially what she means for women's basketball.”
Watkins enjoyed good health in her short university career. She started all 34 of the Games of USC as a first -year student, when she finished second in scoring National with 27.1 points per match. Her 920 points established a national record for first -year scoring.
USC reached the Elite Eight last year and lost to Paige Bueckers and Uconn. The teams were able to meet again this year in a regional final in Spokane, Washington.
Juju Watkins remained winding on the floor in pain after the injury on Monday evening
After Watkins was injured, the crowd fascinated Mississippi State loudly every time it had the ball. The cheerleaders of the school were booed during their resting routine and the crowd came back to the team when it warmed up for the second half.
“They stand behind their home team. They go fast for Juju, “said Msu Guard Jerkaila Jordan, who scored 17 points. “I could do nothing but respect them.”
Watkins had three free throws, one rebound and two assists in five minutes.
In the second quarter, USC guard Malia Samuels went hard on the baseline. She held her head in her hands while the crowd hunted and gottlieb came again to check the second -year student, who led the attack in the absence of Watkins.
“I was relieved to hear her say,” I'm good, “said Gottlieb.
The Trojans seemed fearless due to the injury to their star. They hurried the floor in the celebration after Marshall brought in a 3-guide to beat the Rust-Sumer and extend the lead to 50-27.
Marshall finished with 12 points and nine rebounds in just 21 minutes.
