How UConn stopped USC's comeback bid to advance to Final Four

Early in the second half, UConn looked to be on its way to a comfortable Elite Eight victory. The Huskies went into the locker room on an 11-3 burst then came out of the break with five straight points to go up by 19. Without JuJu Watkins, USC didn’t seem equipped to make a comeback.

The Trojans felt differently.

‘They could have easily just rolled over when we got up 19,” Geno Auriemma said. “Instead, they fought back.”

The rest of the third quarter, USC battled desperately to keep its season alive. The Trojans scored 21 of the next 28 points, holding UConn to just three baskets. Talia von Oelhoffen hit a jumper at the buzzer to pull USC within five entering the final period.

The Huskies were rattled.

“We were definitely getting rushed, definitely starting to feel panicky,” Azzi Fudd said.

As they huddled on the bench in desperate need of a reset, their veteran leader spoke up.

“We’re up. They’re the ones who have all the pressure on them,” Paige Bueckers told her teammates, as relayed by Kaitlyn Chen. “We’re the ones who are leading so we need to act like it.”

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