Paige Bueckers and UConn end magical season for JuJu Watkins and USC
PORTLAND, Ore. — Not so fast, freshman.
JuJu Watkins propelled USC to a meteoric, magical, mesmerizing one-year rise to get back into the national championship conversation after decades of irrelevance. Paige Bueckers, Connecticut’s senior guard, ended it.
Bueckers starred in UConn’s 80-73 win over top-seeded USC in the Portland 3 Regional final Monday in Moda Center with 28 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, reasserting UConn’s position as an inevitable dominant force in the sport. The Huskies (33-5) return to the Final Four to face No. 1-seed Iowa on Friday in Cleveland. The Hawkeyes won the Albany 2 Region Monday 94-87 over Louisiana State.
USC’s season ends a game short of the Final Four, UConn advances
USC will have to wait at least one more year for a return trip to the Final Four.
Connecticut got 28 points, 10 rebounds and six assists from Paige Bueckers to hang on for an 80-73 victory over USC on Monday night at Moda Center in the Portland (Ore.) Regional 3 final.
The Trojans (29-6) had forged a 59-59 tie early in the fourth quarter and appeared primed to take control with their superior depth and star power of their own in freshman JuJu Watkins. But the Huskies (33-5) went on a 17-5 run to open up a 76-64 advantage with 1:25 to go. Bueckers accounted for nine points in that run.
Watkins, who set the Division I freshman scoring record during the first half, finished with a game-high 29 points.
UConn will face Iowa in the national semifinals on Friday in Cleveland. South Carolina and North Carolina State will play in the other semifinal game.
The Trojans ended a historic season one game short of its first Final Four appearance since 1986. But the team broke through for its first Elite Eight appearance since 1994, and the future looks bright with Watkins and coach Lindsay Gottlieb.
McKenzie Forbes makes three-pointer, UConn still in control in final minute
USC got a three-pointer to end a nearly four-minute scoring drought and cut UConn’s advantage to 76-67 with 55.7 seconds left in the game.
JuJu Watkins appeared to have a bloodied nose as she was playing during the late stages of the game, but she remained in the contest.
UConn opens up 11-point advantage with less than two minutes left
UConn and USC are riding their stars late in the game.
Paige Bueckers has nine points and JuJu Watkins has four since UConn’s timeout, but the Huskies have opened up a 75-64 advantage with 1:42 to go in the game.
Bueckers is now up to 28 points as the Huskies are closing in on yet another Final Four berth. Watkins has 25 for the Trojans.
USC forges a tie, forces UConn into a timeout early in the fourth
Just when UConn appeared ready to pull away again, JuJu Watkins stepped up.
The Huskies built a 58-51 advantage 33 seconds into the fourth quarter, but Watkins responded with a three-point play (layup and a free throw after a foul) and another layup to pull the Trojans to within 59-56.
Then after a missed shot by UConn, McKenzie Forbes tied the score with a three-pointer with 7:36 to go in the quarter, hastening a timeout by UConn a few seconds later.
Watkins now has a game-high 21 points to go with nine rebounds and two assists.
Kayla Padilla three-pointer at the buzzer keeps Trojans close
Kayla Padilla picked a great time to make her first field goal of the game.
The transfer guard nailed a corner three-pointer at the buzzer to draw the Trojans to within 55-51 through three quarters.
Padilla had missed her first six shots before converting the key three-pointer.
The shot came after UConn had been stuck on 52 points for nearly four minutes before Ice Brady converted a three-pointer with 17 seconds left.
On the possession before that, Taylor Bigby kicked off a frantic final minute of the quarter with a three-pointer to make it 52-48 with 45 seconds left.
JuJu Watkins has 16 points on five-for-15 shooting. McKenzie Forbes leads the Trojans with 18 points on six-for-17 shooting.
Paige Bueckers leads all scorers with 19 points on seven-for-16 shooting.
USC claws back into it behind JuJu Watkins, defense
UConn extended its lead to 52-40 on a layup by Paige Bueckers (who is up to a game-high 19 points) after the media timeout, but the Trojans have scored the last five points to cut into the advantage.
JuJu Watkins made a layup off a steal and converted a free throw after being fouled, and McKenzie Forbes added two free throws to make it 52-45 with 3:05 to go.
Watkins, who has 16 points, attempted to draw USC closer with a long three-point attempt that missed. UConn called timeout after getting the rebound with 2:30 to go in the third quarter.
UConn takes its biggest lead of the game
UConn scored the first eight points of the third quarter to stake itself to a 41-33 advantage with 7:29 to go in the period.
The Trojans responded with a three-pointer by McKenzie Forbes and a free throw by Kaitlyn Davis to draw to within 41-37 with 6:44 to go in the quarter.
Forbes made another three-pointer to make it 45-40 with 5:20 to go in the period.
Then the Huskies scored the next five points, on two free throws by Aaliyah Edwards and a three-pointer by Ashlynn Shade, to take a 50-40 advantage at the media timeout with 4:25 to go in the quarter.
JuJu Watkins picked up her second foul 19 seconds into the quarter, and has missed her only shot attempt thus far this half.
USC and UConn tied at halftime as Trojans find groove on offense
We’ve reached halftime at Moda Center, with USC and UConn tied at 33.
The Huskies appeared primed to pull away as Paige Bueckers nailed a three-pointer to give UConn a 31-25 lead with 3:31 to go before halftime.
But an 8-2 run by USC sparked by Rayah Marshall pulled the teams even heading into the locker room.
McKenzie Forbes made a jumper and Rayah Marshall added a layup and two free throws in the run, which was capped by two free throws by JuJu Watkins with 36 seconds to go in the second quarter.
Watkins has 13 points on four-of-eight shooting to go with four rebounds while playing the entire half. She still has just the one foul she picked up 35 seconds into the game.
Bueckers leads all scorers with 15 points on five-for-11 shooting and has also played the entire half.
USC is shooting 32.4 percent from the field (11 of 34) and three of 12 from three-point range. The Trojans have made all eight of their free-throw attempts.
UConn is shooting 43.3 percent from the field (13 of 30) and three of nine from three-point range. The Huskies have made four of five free throws.
JuJu Watkins sets Division I scoring record with three-pointer
Coming out of a USC timeout following UConn’s big run, the Trojans turned to its star freshman — who set a record in the process.
JuJu Watkins nailed a three-pointer from the top of the key with 6:07 to go in the second quarter to give her 899 points this season and surpass the Division I freshman record of 898 points held by Tina Hutchinson.
The Trojans trail the Huskies, 26-22, with 4:56 left before halftime.
An incredible feat for JuJu.
— USC Women's Basketball (@USCWBB) April 2, 2024
Watkins now holds the NCAA D1 Freshman Scoring Record! pic.twitter.com/GIP9I8cWOm
UConn surge forces USC timeout
UConn’s surge continued early in the second quarter.
The Huskies got baskets from Nika Muhl, Paige Bueckers, KK Arnold and Qadence Samuels to take a 25-19 lead and force a timeout by USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb with 6:12 to go before halftime.
A layup by Kaitlyn Davis is the only offense thus far by the Trojans this quarter.
Since trailing 15-6, UConn has outscored USC 19-4.
USC leads after one quarter as UConn closes gap
Through one quarter, USC holds a 17-15 advantage over UConn.
The Trojans held a 15-6 lead after a three-point play by McKenzie Forbes, but the Huskies closed the last 3:53 of the quarter on a 9-2 run.
Forbes leads the Trojans with eight points and JuJu Watkins has five points, and Rayah Marshall has four points.
Aaliyah Edwards has eight points and Paige Bueckers has seven points to account for all of the Huskies’ scoring thus far.
Trojans up early as JuJu Watkins heats up on offense
USC has jumped out to an 12-6 lead with 4:55 left in the first quarter as star freshman JuJu Watkins has hit her last two shots, the second of which led to a three-point play following the made free throw after the media timeout.
Watkins drew an offensive foul 35 seconds into the game, but she stayed aggressive and got teammates involved as the Trojans got buckets from Rayah Marshall and McKenzie Forbes to go with two free throws by Marshall.
UConn fell behind 7-2 early, but clawed its way back behind Aaliyah Edwards and Paige Bueckers to make it 7-6 before Watkins scored the next five points.
And we’re underway at Moda Center
We have tipped off in Portland. The last spot in the Final Four is up grabs. Winner gets Iowa, which just knocked off defending national champion LSU 94-87. A giant roar from the crowd as the Iowa-LSU score is announced.
In the words of our esteemed reporter, Thuc Nhi Nguyen: let’s basketball, friends...
Starting lineups:
USC
—Kayla Padilla
—JuJu Watkins
—Rayah Marshall
—Kaitlyn Davis
—McKenzie Forbes
UConn
—KK Arnold
—Aaliyah Edwards
—Paige Bueckers
—Nika Muhl
—Ashlynn Shade
What’s at stake for the Trojans and Huskies tonight
Hello from Moda Center in Portland, Ore., where USC is looking to reach the Final Four for the first time since 1986, when Cheryl Miller was a senior.
The Trojans’ opponent, UConn, is looking to return to the Final Four after a one-year absence. The Huskies reached the title game in 2022, losing to South Carolina.
UConn coach Geno Auriemma is looking to reach his 23rd Final Four, all with the Huskies.
USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb is looking to guide her second program to the Final Four after leading Cal to the national semifinals in 2013.
Another coach similarly burnished her resume in this city before: C. Vivian Stringer and Rutgers reached the Final Four in 2000 next door at Memorial Coliseum. For Stringer, it was the third program she had guided to a Final Four, along with Cheyney State and Iowa.
Why USC’s JuJu Watkins is ‘your favorite basketball player’s favorite basketball player’
Seattle Storm shooting guard Jewell Loyd provides a strategic breakdown of some of USC freshman guard JuJu Watkins’ best plays this season.
He’s her favorite player. When LeBron James sat courtside at a recent USC women’s basketball game, the Lakers star showed that JuJu Watkins is rising up his list, too.
“She’s the next greatest thing in women’s basketball,” James said two days after he watched USC dismantle UC Riverside with Watkins scoring 27 points in 29 minutes.
The top-ranked player in her recruiting class is living up to all the hype. USC’s star freshman ranks second in the country in scoring, is drawing larger and larger crowds to Galen Center and has put her hometown Trojans in the national conversation for the first time in decades.
In the current era of female college basketball star — headlined by names such as Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark — Watkins could soon shine brighter than all of them. But the Watts native’s true power is greater than basketball.
Meet Clarice Akunwafo, future surgeon and USC’s defensive hero in NCAA tournament
Lindsay Gottlieb paused to collect her thoughts. How could she summarize Clarice Akunwafo’s career highs in blocked shots and steals on the biggest stage of USC’s season?
“Clarice,” the USC coach said, “is something else.”
Not only was the 6-foot-6 center a defensive trump card that stymied Kansas in an NCAA tournament second-round victory that sent USC to its first Sweet 16 since 1994, but the Inglewood native is also helping the Trojans establish themselves as a national championship contender while pursuing a career in medicine. She hopes to become a surgeon after basketball.
Working with USC staff to incorporate her grueling class schedule with practices and games while loading up her academic schedule during the summer, Akunwafo admits balancing the demands of athletics and academics hasn’t been easy. Freshman year was bad, she emphasized. Yet rebuilding a fallen dynasty on the court isn’t simple either. With belief from her coaches and teammates, Akunwafo seems especially fit for both tasks.
USC’s Sweet 16 game changer: Meet the coach training the Trojans to go the distance
The best recruit in the country has lived up to every ounce of hype. The Ivy League transfers have made the transition look seamless. But even as a new-look roster led USC to its first Sweet 16 since 1994, head coach Lindsay Gottlieb’s most critical offseason acquisition might be the coach leaning over a black clipboard at the end of the bench.
Kelly Dormandy is the muscle behind USC’s resurgence.
The first-year director of sports performance is a culture-setting strength coach, mad sports scientist and vocal advocate for her athletes. On-court coaches have NCAA-mandated limits on how many hours they can spend with athletes during the offseason, which often makes strength coaches the staff member whom players are around most frequently. They are almost as responsible for setting a program’s foundation as the head coach.
In Dormandy, the Trojans have “the best in the business,” Gottlieb said.
How USC women’s basketball rose from the Pac-12 basement to become champion
The Trojans weren’t the only ones leaving MGM Grand Garden Arena as major winners Sunday night.
Amid the celebration of USC’s first Pac-12 tournament title since 2014, a fan shouted at USC forward Rayah Marshall that the Trojans, 8.5-point underdogs to top-seeded Stanford, had just won him $10,000. Marshall shouted back: “Fight on!”
“We’re in Vegas,” the junior said afterward. “Anything is possible.”
But USC‘s rapid rise from forgotten powerhouse to Pac-12 champion is not just a lucky run. Third-year coach Lindsay Gottlieb has been stacking up wins behind the scenes, from recruiting to strength and conditioning, that Marshall credited as “a culture shift” leading the Trojans back into the national spotlight.
“It’s a reflection of our success on the floor,” Marshall said.
“Now literally we just won,” the junior forward said before correcting herself, “she just won the last Pac-12 championship.”
Three-point lines will be properly marked for USC-Connecticut
When USC and Connecticut play Monday night for a spot in the NCAA women’s basketball Final Four, the three-point lines will be the same distance from the basket on both ends of the court at Moda Center in Portland, Ore.
Makes sense, right? Most people probably assume that’s the case for every game.
But it was not the case during USC’s and Connecticut’s NCAA women’s basketball tournament Sweet 16 games Saturday at the same court. Nor was it the case during the other three tournament games played this weekend, including North Carolina State’s 76-66 win over Texas on Sunday to advance to the Final Four.
Instead, one three-point line was approximately 9 inches closer to the basket than the other, the NCAA said Monday in a statement.
USC women return to Elite Eight for first time in 30 years by beating Baylor
PORTLAND, Ore. — As USC lined up for the opening tip of its Sweet 16 matchup against Baylor, a fan sitting two rows up from the court at Moda Center held up a plain white sign reading in black marker, “JUJU N ’EM.” JuJu Watkins cracked a grin at the sight.
Yes, the freshman led the way with 30 points, six rebounds, four blocks and four assists, but her teammates weren’t just supporting players in USC’s 74-70 win over No. 5 seed Baylor in the Portland 3 regional semifinal on Saturday.
McKenzie Forbes scored 14 points. Rayah Marshall had an 11-point, 16-rebound double-double. Kayla Williams added a clutch defensive lift off the bench and the top-seeded Trojans advanced to their first Elite Eight since 1994.
JuJu vs. Paige? No, it’s USC vs. UConn in Elite Eight
PORTLAND, Ore. — It’s the star-studded matchup TV executives dreamed about. Paige Bueckers, Connecticut’s senior star, against USC’s freshman phenom JuJu Watkins. The headliners will surely help obliterate any women’s basketball TV ratings records during Monday’s Elite Eight contest. Yet a different matchup will decide who advances to the Final Four.
“It’s USC vs. UConn,” Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma said, “not Paige vs. JuJu.”
Watkins’ top-seeded Trojans face No. 3 Connecticut at 6 p.m. PDT (ESPN) in the Portland 3 Regional final on Monday at Moda Center in a potential changing of the guard in women’s basketball. Since USC last made the Elite Eight in 1994, the Huskies have won 11 national championships to rise as the dominant power that was a magnet for almost every top recruit.