Watch: South Carolina WBB’s Ashlyn Watkins’ slam dunk electrifies home crowd

Payton Titus
South Carolina forward Ashlyn Watkins (2) dunks during the Gamecocks’ game against Kentucky at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia on Monday, January 15, 2024. (Sam Wolfe/Special To The State)

Ashlyn Watkins dunked in South Carolina’s game versus Kentucky Monday night at Colonial Life Arena.

Watkins stole the ball with wide open court in front of her during the first quarter. She loaded up and dunked in the hoop before The Cockpit student section. The garnet-clad crowd at Colonial Life Arena roared and flew to its feet.

It was the second dunk of the sophomore’s career after she recorded the first slam in program history her freshman year at Clemson.

“The way Ashlyn dunks so easily blows my mind everytime,” Gamecock great Aliyah Boston posted to X (formerly Twitter) in reaction.

Watkins dunked in 2015 as a fifth-grader during a game on a 9-foot basket. In 2018, she dunked twice during the summer at the Jr. NBA World Championship.

She dunked several times in games for Cardinal Newman in high school, including the 2020 playoffs. She won the McDonald’s All-American slam dunk contest in 2022, which fellow SEC player Candace Parker (Tennessee) also won in 2004.

Before Watkins, the last SEC players to dunk in a game were Tennessee’s Parker and Sylvia Fowles (LSU), who each played college ball from 2004-08. Michelle Snow of Tennessee dunked three times between 1998-02.

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