Jayden Epps injury: Mississippi State guard taken to locker room with obvious knee issue

Mississippi State guard Jayden Epps was injured late in the first half of Saturday’s game against South Carolina on Saturday. He was taken to the locker room with help from two members of the Bulldogs’ athletic training staff.

Epps attempted a floater with Mississippi State trailing 41-34 with 1:40 to go before halftime. He came down awkwardly and appeared to have his foot stepped on by a South Carolina defender before hitting the floor. Despite this, he immediately grabbed at his knee and remained on the hardwood until being helped to his feet.

Epps led all scorers with 13 points at the time of his exit. He was 3-6 from deep and 5-10 from the floor overall.

He was fouled on the play, but wasn’t able to shoot the ensuing free throws. Chris Jans opted for Sergej Macura to shoot them in his place, which he cashed in on. The Bulldogs would go on to trail South Carolina 46-39 at the break.

Epps emerged from the tunnel with the Bulldogs before the second half began. However, he was in his warm-up shirt with an ice pack strapped to his knee.

With Mississippi State having won its last two games, the Bulldogs were looking to avoid a loss to the last-place Gamecocks. Now losing one of their best scorers in a key moment of the game, it appears they’ll have to come back in the second half without Epps in the game.

Behind Josh Hubbard‘s 22.4 points, Epps is Mississippi State’s second-leading scorer on the year with 14.3 points per game on average. He’s also the team’s best free throw shooter at 82.9% and shooting 31.0% from deep.

If Mississippi State can come back, the Bulldogs would break past .500 for the first time in February. Currently sitting at 13-13, the Bulldogs have beaten Ole Miss and Auburn in consecutive matchups coming into Saturday. Epps combined for 25 points during those wins.