Sports
UConn’s Final Four Return – Paige Bueckers Dominates USC
Spokane, Washington – UConn Huskies star Paige Bueckers always dreamed of winning a national championship. However, she has missed out on winning this title the last three times, but this time she has a last chance to make this dream come true.
Bueckers’ brilliant 31 points and 6 assists helped UConn beat USC 78-64 to win the Spokane 4 Regional Final and make it to the Final Four for the 16th time in the last 17 years. Overall, this will be UConn’s 24th Final Four.
Paige Bookers, who is considered the No. 1 pick in next month’s WNBA draft, has led UConn to the Final Four every season she has been on the team.
USC’s fighting effort but far from success
This match was very difficult for USC, as the team’s superstar player, JuJu Watkins, was out due to a knee injury (ACL tear). Watkins was considered a strong contender to become the national player of the year.
Despite this, USC struggled tremendously. Despite a good performance with 23 points and 15 rebounds from senior player Rayah Marshall, the efforts didn’t help the team reach their goal of being in the Final Four after a long break since 1986.
UConn’s next match is against UCLA
Now, UConn will have to face top seed UCLA in the Final Four. This match will be played on Friday evening in Tampa, Florida. According to ESPN BET, UConn is considered a favorite of 8.5 points.
Bueckers’ record-breaking performance
This match of Paige Bueckers has gone down in history. Her 31 points took her to third place on UConn’s career scoring list, surpassing Napheesa Collier.
In addition, according to ESPN research, she became only the second player since 2000 to score 30+ points on 50% shooting in three consecutive NCAA Tournament games. The last such achievement was accomplished by Jackie Stiles way back in the year 2001.
UConn’s defense dominated
UConn’s defense constantly troubled USC in this match. USC was forced into 10 turnovers in the first half, and they were not allowed to make a 3-pointer until 6:44 minutes into the third quarter.
USC saw a 14-point lead at halftime, the largest since the beginning of last season.
Historic performance by Sarah Strong
Freshman Sarah Strong set a new record in UConn history. She became the first freshman player to perform 20 points and 10 rebounds in any match in the Elite Eight or beyond.
She scored 10 of UConn’s 14 points in the first quarter and took over the team when UConn was trailing 11-5. She helped the team take a 9-point lead.
Exciting turn of the match
In the first half, the pair of Sarah Strong and Paige Bueckers scored more points than USC. While USC was at 25, these two players had a combined score of 28.
USC made a huge rally back in the third quarter, bringing the deficit of 19 down to just 5.
During this, Talia von Oelhoffen scored 10 points.
UConn’s last push towards victory
Although graduate student Azzi Fudd couldn’t make her first 9 shots, she made a strong comeback in the final quarter, scoring 8 points including 23-pointers to help UConn retake the lead.
With two layups in the dying seconds, Kaitlyn Chen crushed USC’s final hopes of making a comeback. It is her third-best scoring contest of the current season, with a cumulative point score of 15.
Conclusion
SCU faced additional complications during this difficult game because JuJu Watkins did not play.
Along with their great show of skill and execution, Paige Bueckers and Sarah Strong effectively propelled UConn into the Final Four.
FAQs
Q1. Which factors prevented JuJu Watkins from appearing for USC’s games?
A1. She suffered a major knee injury- ACL injury- in the second-round NCAA tournament game and was unable to participate in the tournament due to injury.
Q2. How long had USC not entered the Final Four?
A2. he USC basketball team attempted to reach the Final Four level for the first time since 1986, but their efforts proved unsuccessful.
UConn fans can locate details about the upcoming match at which venue.
The next match of UConn will be against UCLA in Tampa, Florida, on Friday evening.
Q3. Who performed best in the match?
A3. The three UConn Huskies star athletes, Paige Bueckers delivered 31 points alongside 6 assists and Sarah Strong scored 20 points while getting 10 rebounds, and Raya Marshall produced 23 points together with 15 rebounds in an outstanding feat.
