Sun Mar 30 00:50:00 UTC 2025: ## USC Star JuJu Watkins Suffers Season-Ending ACL Tear; Online Bullying Targets Mississippi State Player

**SPOKANE, Wash. –** USC women’s basketball star JuJu Watkins suffered a season-ending ACL tear in Monday’s second-round NCAA tournament victory against Mississippi State, prompting an outpouring of support for Watkins and condemnation of online harassment directed at the opposing player involved in the incident.

Watkins went down with the injury during the first quarter after contact with Mississippi State’s Chandler Prater. While initial reactions suggested foul play, USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb emphatically denied any malicious intent on Prater’s part. “There was nothing to me that looked like it had any intent to hurt her,” Gottlieb stated, adding that the game was physical but that Prater, who was simply trying to play, did not deserve the online abuse she received.

Following the injury, Mississippi State players, particularly Prater, were subjected to a barrage of hateful comments on social media, with some fans labeling Prater a “dirty player” and inciting animosity. Prater has since disabled comments on her recent posts.

Mississippi State coach Sam Purcell expressed his prayers for Watkins’ recovery and asserted that his team plays to compete, not to injure opponents. He hopes the incident won’t escalate tensions between the two teams. Gottlieb echoed this sentiment, stating that while fans are understandably upset about Watkins’ injury, no one should resort to online bullying.

Despite the unfortunate incident, USC continues its tournament run, facing Kansas State in a Sweet 16 matchup on Saturday.

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