Bueckers, Edwards Lead UConn to 23rd Final Four
Lost in all the Iowa and LSU hoopla, the UConn Huskies beat the USC Trojans 80-73 to advance to their 23rd Final Four. Paige Bueckers led the UConn with 28 points.
UConn Women’s Basketball on Twitter: “Started 4-3Now we’re back in the Final Four 🤫 pic.twitter.com/JFNWRgCWwm / Twitter”
Started 4-3Now we’re back in the Final Four 🤫 pic.twitter.com/JFNWRgCWwm
Bueckers
Bueckers played outstandingly for the last month, and that continued Monday night. She scored her 28 points on 11-23 shooting from the field; she grabbed ten rebounds and dished out six assists.
“Today was Paige doing Paige things,” UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said.
With the Huskies up 65-64, UConn scored an 11-0 run to put away the Trojans, and Bueckers scored seven of those 11 points. She even stepped up and guarded standout USC freshman JuJu Watkins.
“Today was one of the most rewarding feelings I’ve ever felt in my life,” Bueckers said.
Aaliyah Edwards
Aaliyah Edwards, who played all 40 minutes just like Bueckers, scored 24 poijts and grabbed six rebounds. Edwards was the only other Huskie player to score in double figures and played smart through foul trouble.
UConn Women’s Basketball on Twitter: “THESE MOMENTS >>> pic.twitter.com/B1sqkbi4BY / Twitter”
THESE MOMENTS >>> pic.twitter.com/B1sqkbi4BY
Edwards is averaging 17.6 points and 9.3 rebounds this year and has shown tremendous growth from last year.
Watkins USC
Watkins led USC in scoring 29 points on 9-25 shooting from the field and grabbed ten boards. You can’t stop a player like Watkins, but the Huskies did a good job mixing up looks and making her work for her points. Watkins will be fun to watch for years to come.
Nobody expected UConn to be in the Final Four with all the injuries they had; two of the injured players would have been starters. They only have eight healthy players, but if you look up, they are in the Final Four.
“I think our coaching staff had to deal with an enormous amount of things this year that we never had to deal with before. I’m really proud of our staff,” Auriemma said.
Now, UConn will face the Iowa Hawkeyes and Caitlin Clark. Clark and Bueckers’ battle should be an amazing matchup.