Last season, UConn had to claw their way to the NCAA tournament without their superstar point guard Paige Bueckers. As a result, they were not themselves, clawing their way to the Sweet Sixteen only to get beaten 73-61 to the Ohio State Buckeyes. It is now a different season.
The No. 3 UConn Huskies defeated the No. 1 USC Trojans 80-73 Monday night in Portland to advance to the Final Four. Bueckers had a double-double, scoring 28 points with 10 rebounds.
“Today was Paige doing Paige things,” Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma said after the game.
Bueckers and forward Aaliyah Edwards battled USC stars Juju Watkins and McKenzie Forbes to a stalemate, but it was the performance of the substitutes that proved to be the X-factor for the Huskies. The Trojan starters outscored the Huskies starters 70-69, but UConn outscored USC 11-3 from the bench.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams pulling no punches. USC got off to a 15-6 lead, but UConn immediately went on a 9-0 run to even the score.
Edwards got the run started with well-contested defense on a Forbes layup. Bueckers then drove down the court for a three-point play.
On the next USC possession, Edwards forced a turnover by deflecting Watkins’ pass to Forbes. Bueckers collected the ball and dished it to Edwards for another bucket.
In the second quarter, UConn started to control the game, building a six-point lead at one point. Although USC fought back to tie the game at halftime, the Huskies had already found their groove.
With under five minutes left in the third quarter, UConn built a 12-point lead playing their style of basketball; distribution and execution. Edwards got to the free throw line, Beuckers made two layups, and Ashlynn Shade and Nika Muhl made a couple of big shots from beyond the arc.
USC went on an 8-0 run to cut the lead down to four, but Ice Brady came off the bench and made a big three-pointer to extend the lead back to seven.
The Trojans proved that they were a No.1 team, for they did not go down quietly. A Juju Watkins layup cut UConn’s lead down to one point with under five minutes left in the game. That was when Paige “Buckets” showed up.
Bueckers scored a jumper, followed by a three-pointer that would start an 11-0 run. She scored nine points in the final quarter and UConn held on until the end.
A showdown with Caitlin Clarke and Iowa in the Final Four is all that stands between UConn and a 12th championship appearance.
The Craftsports 
Leave a comment