Alexa PhilippouESPN Close Covers college women’s basketball and the WNBA UConn and the WNBA Connecticut Sun were previously covered for the Hartford Courant A Stanford graduate and Baltimore native with further experience in the Dallas Morning News, Seattle Times and Cincinnati Inquirer
BRIDGEPORT, Con. – UConn heads to the 16th consecutive Elite Eight in women’s basketball with Saturday’s 75-58 victory over No. 3 Indiana, with the help of a vintage Huskies series to start the second half that opened the game. Close
Covers college women’s basketball and the WNBA UConn and the WNBA Connecticut Sun were previously covered for the Hartford Courant A Stanford graduate and Baltimore native with further experience in the Dallas Morning News, Seattle Times and Cincinnati Inquirer
It started with a Paige Bueckers 3 from an incoming game in UConn’s first possession in the second half. Indiana would not even take the ball back before the Huskies managed to win three more shooting attempts at their end after a foul outside the Hoosiers, which Olivia Nelson-Ododa took advantage of with a dashboard and back. The next time down, Christyn Williams made a line from a gift-go before the Bueckers and Aaliyah Edwards also joined in the fun and the Hoosiers failed to fall. It may be a season unlike any UConn has ever experienced, but for four minutes at the start of the second half, it was as old as the Huskies. In the blink of an eye, their four-point lead at halftime increased to 20 behind the 2-seeded Huskies lockdown defense, full board control and a buzzing attack that yielded 12 points from just the lay-ups. Indiana started a short rally, reaching 11 in the middle of the fourth quarter, but the damage had already been done. “We probably should have stayed out,” said Indiana coach Terry Moren. “We went to the locker room again and made some adjustments, but we came back in the third quarter and it was really awful for us.” The Hoosiers end their season 24-9. With a win over NC State in the regional final on Monday, the Huskies will advance to a 14th consecutive Final Four – far from certain earlier this season, as the Huskies have played several times without Bueckers for 19 games and starring freshman Azzi Fudd for 11 with knee and leg injuries, respectively. The third quarter series was a remarkable change as UConn had struggled in lap 32 against a natural UCF team, scoring just 52 points in shots below 30%. UConn coach Geno Auriemma said he expected this to be more of a one-off matchup than a symptom of a wider issue. Saturday’s performance, and especially the Huskies’ spark in the third quarter, proved to be true. “We knew exactly where we were going. We knew where the ball was going. We knew where the shots were coming from. We could choose which shots we wanted to take and we had more layouts than we had in the previous two quarters,” said Auriemma. I have seen a lot for 20 years. But this year, I appreciate it more because it was harder to achieve. “ Indiana, who lost in Iowa to the Big Ten tournament, entered the match boasting of an experienced group starring super-senior Ali Patberg and WNBA candidate Grace Berger. The Hoosiers were hoping to get back to the Elite Eights after the downfall of NC State with 1 seed in Sweet 16 last season. While the disciplined Hoosiers were warm at first, UConn’s relatively younger bodyguard, led by the Bueckers and Fudd, settled in to win the back-to-back battle, showing far beyond their penalty in the third quarter. The Huskies, who have been proud of their defense all season, have held Indiana below 60 points for just the sixth time this year. Berger’s limit to 13 points in 4-on-11 shots was a big part of that. Patberg was ahead of the Huziers by 16 points. “Playing with Indiana is probably as difficult a task as it is for your guards,” said Auriemma. “The guards put so much pressure on your guards. They are so aggressive with the ball. And I thought we did an amazing job defensively. I thought that was the difference in the game, that we managed to stop what was needed and not let them play with the forces. something that let their guards go really, really well. “ “We had some very good defensive teams, but they were great,” said Moren, who also pointed to the Huskies’ physicality as a difference. “They were amazing today, UConn.” The Bueckers were the most aggressive since returning from injury on February 25 – in the middle of the third quarter, they had already surpassed their previous high for a shot attempted in a game since its return. She finished with 15 points – nine of which were in the decisive third quarter – with a 7-on-17 shot. Williams matched her with 15 points to lead the Huskies. After a smooth start to the season for the UConn players, they arrived with the same meaning as the guards to push the Huskies to the Elite Eight. Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Edwards almost outscored the Hoosiers 24-27, giving UConn ample second-chance chances from 15 attacking boards. “We are a good attacking team and giving us more than one shot allows us to do what we do best,” said Auriemma. “But it takes a lot of work and not everyone is willing to do it.” Monday’s No. 1 vs. No. 2 match between NC State and UConn involves teams with different types of experience. The Wolfpacks play a heavyweight group, but will participate in their first Elite Eight since 1998 after a back-to-back victory over Notre Dame earlier on Saturday. The Huskies are fed up with their youth, but have six players who have played in at least one Final Four. Indiana may have been one of the Huskies’ toughest challenges of the season. But with NC State and possibly Stanford or Texas after that in Minneapolis, the road will not be easier for UConn. “You have to go out and beat them. They are not going to lose,” Auriemma said. “No one is going to lose to you in this tournament. You have to go out and beat them. Every year it gets harder and harder, let me tell you.”
