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Alexa Philippou, ESPN
PORTLAND, Ore. — In the fall, when the university lost several key players to season-ending injuries and struggled in early nonconference play, coach Geno Auriemma said it was important for his team to continue to do well in March. It was supposed to have been a miracle, but he said: .
The Huskies, plagued by injuries for the third straight campaign, still had one player who could rise above all others in Paige Bueckers.
In his first season back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament that sidelined him all of last year, Bueckers recorded a game-high 28 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks to lead his school to its 23rd Final Four appearance. They finished 15th in the last 16 women's NCAA tournaments and defeated top-seeded USC 80-73 in the Portland regional final on Monday.
The Huskies, 11-time national champions, aren't used to being the underdogs. However, with six players out for the year due to injury and five losses in non-conference play, many players put them in the running to earn a spot in Cleveland and as the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Participated in.
That assumption was proven wrong as the Buccaneers, Aliyah Edwards, Nika Muhl and their freshman core secured a spot in the national semifinals on Saturday against the top-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes. It will become clear.
Buccaneer, who was named the 2021 National Player of the Year, scored nine points in the final 5:06 of the game to thwart USC's comeback attempt. She has scored 20 or more points in seven consecutive games, the longest streak of her career.
USC ends its season with its deepest tournament run since 1994, when the Trojans also lost in the Elite Eight, but its future is incredibly bright with surprise Rookie of the Year JuJu Watkins leading the way.
