CLEVELAND — Stuck as a spectator during last year's women's NCAA Tournament, Paige Bueckers didn't waste a moment this time. Every drive to the basket, every deflection on defense, every tumble to the floor was about doing everything possible to get UConn back to the Final Four.
Or, as Huskies coach Geno Auriemma put it, "Today was Paige doing Paige things."
Bueckers carried UConn to the national semifinals, scoring 28 points in the Huskies' 80-73 victory over Southern California in a regional final on Monday night.
Bueckers outdueled fabulous USC freshman All-American JuJu Watkins, sparking a decisive run over the final five minutes that sent third-seeded UConn (33-5) to its 23rd national semifinal, the most of any school. Leading 65-64, the Huskies scored 11 straight points, including seven from Bueckers and a three-point play from Aaliyah Edwards to finally put away the top-seeded Trojans (29-6).
UConn will face Caitlin Clark and Iowa on Friday in Cleveland.
"Today was one of the most rewarding feelings I've ever felt in my life," Bueckers said.
Edwards finished with 24 points, and this Final Four trip will rank as one of the most unlikely in Auriemma's 39-year tenure. Beset by injuries that left them with only eight healthy players — including the loss of two starters — the Huskies managed minutes, fouls and exhaustion to win the Portland 3 Region a year after seeing a string of 14 straight Final Four appearances snapped.
"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.
Bueckers was sidelined by a major knee injury last year when that streak ended. She reached the Final Four as a freshman, when she was the national player of the year, but she hasn't played a full season since because of injuries, even though she made it to the title game with UConn as a sophomore.
Bueckers sat out all of last season but is back and possibly better than ever. On one of the biggest nights in the history of the women's game, following a tremendous performance by Clark in a win over LSU, Bueckers hit 11 of 23 shots and finished with 10 rebounds and six assists.
"Now I'm here with my teammates and coaching staff and going to the Final Four," Bueckers said. "It's been a very rewarding journey. I'm super, super grateful for it all. The tough times made me who I am. It's built my faith. It's built my appreciation for life and gratitude for anything that gets thrown my way."
Below is video of the UConn women and staff arriving in Cleveland ahead of their highly anticipated matchup against Iowa: