Chloe Kitts, Ashlyn Watkins impress in return to South Carolina women’s basketball

Mitchell Northam, USA TODAYMon, November 2, 2026 at 11:22 PM UTC

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After more than a year away from the hardwood, Chloe Kitts and Ashlyn Watkins officially returned to the court for South Carolina women’s basketball on Monday, Nov. 2.

And against the Maryland Terrapins in Paris, France, Dawn Staley needed the frontcourt duo.

The Gamecocks nearly blew a 31-point lead, but held on to win their season-opener 101-93. Kitts started and logged eight points, seven rebounds, five assists and a block in 19 minutes of action, while Watkins tallied seven points, 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in 21 minutes off the bench.

Watkins led the team in rebounding while Kitts was tied for the team lead in assists with Tessa Johnson.

Neither player suited up for the Gamecocks last season as Staley’s team advanced to its sixth consecutive Final Four, but this year they’re bolstering the frontcourt depth for the team voted No. 1 in USA TODAY Sports’ preseason Coaches Poll.

Kitts sat out last season after tearing the ACL in her right knee during a practice in October 2025. Watkins suffered an ACL injury late in the 2024-25 season, then announced that she would step away from the program last season to “focus on myself, my community, my faith, and my family.”

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Both are back in the rotation now for a South Carolina team that looks capable of extending its Final Four streak, currently the longest active one in the sport.

Kitts was a starter on South Carolina’s 2024 national championship team as a sophomore. As a junior in the 2024-25 season, she was voted SEC Tournament MVP after averaging 16.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, three assists and a steal per game across the Gamecocks’ dominant run there.

"Chloe has been very consistent with working hard. You don't really have to worry about her getting in what she needs to get in. Actually, she's almost obsessive with it to where you just have to say, 'Hey, take a day off,'" Staley said of Kitts at SEC Media Day. "I think Chloe just wants it. She wants it now. She wants to be in the WNBA now because she put the work in, and when you put the type of work that she puts in, the expectation is to be there."

Watkins was also key to South Carolina’s most recent national championship, setting a program record with 15 defensive rebounds in the Gamecocks’ Final Four win over NC State. Watkins was an All-SEC selection that season and led the conference in blocked shots with 91.

South Carolina is back in action stateside on Sunday, Nov. 8, facing the North Carolina Tar Heels in Charlotte at the Ally Tip-Off.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chloe Kitts, Ashlyn Watkins impress in return to South Carolina women’s basketball

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