UConn guard Nika Muhl played 40 minutes and recorded eight points, eight assists and five rebounds during Friday night’s Portland 3 Regional Final game against the USC Trojans. Photo by Tim Ashman/Sportspage Magazine
The USC Trojans made their last Final Four appearance in 1986 after becoming back-to-back champions in 1983 and 1984. They faced the UConn Huskies in the Portland 3 Regional Final at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., on Monday for the right to go back to the Final Four for their first time in 38 years. The Huskies had won 14 regional finals in a row and have an overall 22-5 record in regional final appearances dating back to when Geno Auriemma took over the UConn program in 1985.
It was a fast-pace game of runs that had UConn on top 80-73 in a contest that could have easily been anybody’s game.
A minute and a half came off the clock before the game’s first score, a layup by Trojan forward Rayah Marshall, to give Southern California the early 2-0 lead. It would be matched just 13 seconds later by a layup from UConn guard Paige Bueckers.
USC guard McKenzie Forbes hit a three-pointer and Marshall made two free throws after getting fouled by Huskies guard Ashlynn Shade, to put the Trojans up 7-2 early in the opening frame, but it was soon erased by layups from UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards and guard KK Arnold.
The Trojans struck first with an 8-0 run when guard JuJu Watkins scored a jump shot, and then scored while getting fouled by UConn guard Nika Muhl on the next possession. This was followed up by a made shot by Forbes, who was fouled by Shade for the three-point play. USC led 15-6 with 3:53 remaining in the opening quarter.
USC Trojan guard JuJu Watkins drives against UConn guard KK Arnold during Friday’s Portland 3 Regional Finals matchup at the Moda Center. Watkins broke the freshman single season scoring record in the second quarter. The new record is now 920 points in a season. Photo by Tim Ashman/Sportspage Magazine
The Huskies fought right back with a run of their own. Bueckers scored on a layup and was fouled by USC guard Kayla Padilla for a three-point play. Edwards scored on two layups and Bueckers made two free throws after getting fouled by center Clarice Akunwafo. Suddenly it was a 15-15 tie. Forbes broke the tie with a jump shot that gave the Trojans a 17-15 advantage at the quarter break.
The Husky run continued into the second quarter. Other than a layup made by forward Kaitlyn Davis, USC was held scoreless during the first half of the frame. Meanwhile, UConn guard Nika Muhl made a pull up transition jump shot; Bueckers hit a three-pointer; Arnold made a shot; and guard Qadence Samuels came off the bench to nail a three-pointer. The Huskies led 25-19 having completed a 7-0 run as part of a larger 19-5 run dating back to the first quarter.
Then history was made. Watkins hit a three-pointer with 6:01 remaining in the second quarter to set an NCAA Women’s Basketball record. It was her 899th point of the season, the most points by any Division I freshman, surpassing the old mark of 898 set by San Diego State Aztec guard Tina Hutchinson during the 1983-1984 season. Watkins would score 21 more points in the game, 29 total for the game, to set a new freshman single scoring mark of 920 points in a season.
Watkins went over the 900 point mark a little over a minute later when she hit another three-pointer. This was answered by a 7-2 UConn run with a midrange jumper and a deep three ball from Bueckers and a jump shot by forward Ice Brady, with Forbes scoring the only basket for the Trojans.
UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards blocks a shot by USC forward Rayah Marshall during Friday’s Regional 3 Final game at Moda Center. Photo by Tim Ashman/Sportspage Magazine
USC would reclaim some of the deficit with a layup and two free throws by Marshall and two free throws for Watkins. USC ended the half on a 6-0 run which tied the score at 33-33 by the halftime break.
The Huskies struck first after the halftime break. Watkins fouled Edwards, who made one of two free throws. Shade and Edwards hit jump shots with a Muhl three-pointer sandwiched between. The 8-0 opening run put UConn ahead 41-33 with 7:26 remaining in the quarter.
After trading baskets for two minutes, UConn struck again. Edwards made both free throws after getting fouled by guard Taylor Bigby. Shade hit a three-pointer. Bueckers stole a pass Davis, then ran the length of the court for a transition layup. The Huskies had a 12-point lead, 52-40, with 4:14 left on the clock.
Again the Trojans showed their resolve. Watkins made a shot and free throw after being fouled by Arnold. Forbes made two free shots after being fouled by Muhl. Bigby and Padilla each hit three-pointers, with Padilla’s coming at the buzzer. USC finished the quarter on an 11-3 run even though the Huskies still led 55-51 when the third quarter ended.
Beginning with Padilla’s buzzer beater to end the quarter, USC ran up an 11-4 run to begin the final quarter of play. Edwards got a three-point play after making a shot and getting fouled by Marshall, and Padilla fouled Brady, who converted one of two free throws. Otherwise, Watkins scored two baskets and a free throw and Forbes added a three-pointer. Suddenly the game was tied at 59-59 with 7:31 remaining. UConn called a timeout to regroup and try to get a momentum shift.
The timeout worked as the Huskies then went on a 6-1 run to try to get separation. Brady, Bueckers and Edwards each scored baskets while Marshall made one free throw for the Trojans.
USC Trojans guard McKenzie Forbes and UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers battle for a loose ball during Friday’s Portland 3 Regional Final game at Moda Center. Photo by Tim Ashman/Sportspage Magazine
Watkins scored a basket and two free throws to pull the USC deficit to one point, 65-64 with 4:38 left on the clock.
Then UConn turned it up another notch. Bueckers made a three-pointer and two jump shots while Edwards made a three-point play after getting fouled by Davis. Muhl was fouled by Davis with 1:25 remaining. She converted one of two free throws to make the score 76-64 after the 11-0 run.
Forbes hit a three-pointer to cut the deficit to nine points with just under a minute left to play. Edwards was fouled by Davis but missed both free throws. Watkins made both free throws after getting fouled by Bueckers to make the score 76-69.
Davis fouled Muhl, who then missed both free throws. With just 17 seconds left, Marshall made a layup to make the score 76-71.
Muhl went back to the line after getting fouled by Padilla. The Huskies had missed seven consecutive free throws, but this time Muhl made them both to give UConn some breathing room.
Watkins made a layup with 12 seconds left on the clock, her last points of the game. Then Edwards was fouled by Davis with three seconds remaining in the game. She made both free throws. The final score was 80-73 in favor of the Huskies after a hard fought contest.
UConn went 28-for-58 (48.48 percent) from the field; 7-for-15 (46.67 percent) from three-point range; and 17-for-27 (67.96 percent) from the free throw line. They turned the ball over 12 times.
“I mean, if you watched the game, obviously there’s not a whole lot that you didn’t see. It was one of the better games that I’ve been associated with at this level,” said Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma. “Two terrific teams. Great competitors playing their hearts out for a dream that each kid has when they go to college.”
USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins attempts a layup as UConn Huskies forward Ice Brady tries to defend without fouling during Friday’s Portland 3 Regional Final at Moda Center. Photo by Tim Ashman/Sportspage Magazine
“I’m so proud of them, and their sense of belief in themselves never wavered, no matter what happened, no matter who we lost, one after another after another. They never gave up on their dream. Now here we are,” Auriemma concluded.
USC went 23-for-70 (32.86 percent) from the field; 9-for-29 (31.03 percent) from three-point range; and 18-for-20 (90.00 percent) from the charity stripe. They committed 10 turnovers.
“For the most part I felt like this was a really good basketball game. They beat us. Like, they did a little bit better of what they do than what we do,” said Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. “We are disappointed. We had our sights on Cleveland. I think we’ve done a lot of celebrating. I appreciate that.”
“I think this team’s history is forever entrenched in USC history and I hope women’s basketball because it’s unique what we did, and I’m very proud of that,” she added.
Paige Bueckers led the Huskies with 28 points and 10 rebounds. Aaliyah Edwards added 24 points and Nika Muhl dished a team-high eight assists. Edwards recorded her 1,000th rebound in the effort tonight.
“Coach is always on us. We already know we have a short bench. That never has been an excuse for us, never has been, never will be,” said Muhl. “One thing about it, when we have a short bench, everybody needs to step up. Nobody needs to be great. He said everybody needs to be solid and do what they’re best at. This is a game today where everybody literally did what they’re best at. I’m so, so proud of people coming off the bench.”
The Trojans were led by a game-high 29 points by JuJu Watkins while McKenzie Forbes pitched in for 24 and three assists. Rayah Marshall pitched in for 11 points and 11 rebounds on the night.
“I think they just capitalized off every one of our mistakes. I thought we battled till the end, but I think they were just the better team,” said Forbes.
The Huskies will now advance to the Final Four to take on the No. 1 seed Iowa Hawkeyes, the winner of the Albany 2 Final on Friday April 5 as the second semifinal game in Cleveland.
