Early in the second quarter of the Big East semis, UConn found itself on the ropes. While the Huskies jumped out to an 18-6 lead, Villanova rallied back and pulled ahead 26-25.

For a team that had won 11 straight conference tournaments and hadn’t lost a Big East game in over two seasons, UConn was in uncharted territory.

“Teams like Villanova, the more you let them hang around… this time of year, you don’t want to play like that,” Geno Auriemma said.

Enter Paige Bueckers.