By TIM BOOTH (AP Sports Writer)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Unable to participate in last year’s women’s NCAA Tournament, Paige Bueckers was determined this time. Each drive to the basket, every deflection on defense, every fall to the floor was done with the goal of getting UConn back to the Final Four.
Or, as Huskies coach Geno Auriemma described it, “Today was Paige doing Paige things.”
Bueckers led UConn to the national semifinals by scoring 28 points in the Huskies’ 80-73 win over Southern California in a regional final on Monday night.
Bueckers competed against impressive USC freshman All-American JuJu Watkins, igniting a decisive run in the last five minutes that propelled third-seeded UConn (33-5) to its 23rd national semifinal, the most of any school. Leading 65-64, the Huskies scored 11 consecutive points, with seven from Bueckers and a three-point play from Aaliyah Edwards, securing the victory over the top-seeded Trojans (29-6).
UConn will play against Caitlin Clark and Iowa on Friday in Cleveland.
“Today was one of the most gratifying feelings I’ve ever experienced in my life,” Bueckers said.
Edwards finished with 24 points, and this Final Four trip will be remembered as one of the most unlikely in Auriemma’s 39-year coaching career. Plagued by injuries that left them with only eight healthy players — including the loss of two starters — the Huskies managed minutes, fouls, and exhaustion to win the Portland 3 Region a year after their streak of 14 straight Final Four appearances was broken.
“I believe our coaching staff had to handle a huge number of challenges this year that we never had to deal with before. I'm really proud of our staff,” Auriemma said.
Bueckers was sidelined by a major knee injury last year when that streak ended. She reached the Final Four as a freshman, when she was the national player of the year, but she hasn’t played a full season since because of injuries, even though she made it to the title game with UConn as a sophomore.
Bueckers missed the entire last season but has returned and may be even better than before. On one of the most significant nights in the history of the women’s game, following an outstanding performance by Clark in a win over LSU, Bueckers made 11 of 23 shots and ended with 10 rebounds and six assists.
“Now I'm here with my teammates and coaching staff and going to the Final Four,” Bueckers said. “It’s been a very rewarding journey. I’m super, super grateful for it all. The tough times made me who I am. It’s built my faith. It’s built my appreciation for life and gratitude for anything that gets thrown my way.”
A day after the NCAA belatedly realized the 3-point line at one end of the court at Moda Center was 9 inches shorter than the other, the Trojans and Huskies played on a corrected floor — although the incorrect line was still visible — with the final spot in Cleveland at stake.
And it was the Huskies celebrating at the end, although it was a shaky finish. UConn missed six free throws in the final minute and let a 12-point lead dwindle down to five.
USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said that the basketball game was mostly good and they beat us because they did their game better than we did ours.
Watkins ended her freshman year with 29 points, but UConn made it challenging for her to score by double-teaming and switching defenders. It took her about 15 minutes to surpass the record for most points by a freshman in NCAA history, which was held by former San Diego State star Tina Hutchinson. She achieved this with a 3-pointer at the top of the key during the second quarter.
UConn gained a 12-point lead in the third quarter as Watkins missed eight of her next nine shots. USC later caught up and tied the game at 59-59 with 7:21 left, thanks to quick points from Watkins and a fourth three-pointer from McKenzie Forbes. However, the Huskies then pulled ahead.
Watkins, in tears at the postgame dais, commented, "UConn played great defense. Every time I got past the first line, someone was there."
Forbes scored 24 points and Rayah Marshall had 11 for the Trojans, who aimed for their first Final Four appearance since 1986.
Gottlieb acknowledged, "I don’t know Paige personally, but to see that kid be out for two years and come back and do this, as much hurt as we’re in, they earned it, and I credit them."
Both UConn and North Carolina State could have a Final Four of their own, as each school sent both its men’s and women’s team to the national semifinals for the first time in NCAA history.
The matchup between Bueckers and Clark will receive more attention than facing Watkins in the Elite Eight, given the stage it’ll be played on. The two first met as freshmen in the Sweet 16 in 2021, with UConn winning 92-72.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket/ and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
