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The Elite Eight rematch between No. 4 UConn and No. 7 USC on Saturday night lived up to the billing, as the Trojans escaped with a 72-70 victory in a thriller that went down to the wire and featured a wild final sequence.
JuJu Watkins and the Trojans opened up on fire. They started the game on a 9-0 run and were in control for the entire first half. Shortly after the break, they pushed their advantage to 18 points and seemed to be on their way to a comfortable win.
UConn had other ideas. The Huskies upped their defensive intensity and started knocking down some 3-pointers of their own. In the middle of the fourth quarter, they actually briefly took the lead on a Sarah Strong bucket. That’s when Watkins took over the game. She either scored or assisted on eight consecutive points for the Trojans to give them a three-point lead with 19 seconds remaining.
On the very next possession, Watkins almost went from hero to goat when she fouled Strong on a 3-pointer with five seconds remaining.
Strong — who put up 22 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, four steals and a block in a terrific performance — stepped to the line with a chance to tie the game and potentially send things to overtime. She made the first free throw, but then missed the next two. Still, the Huskies had one last chance when they grabbed the offensive rebound and it wound up in Strong’s hands. She launched from near halfcourt, but only caught the backboard.
“UConn, they’re the toughest competitors,” Watkins said after the Trojans held on. “We knew we had to get the dub. Coming off of last year, this was really important for me. I gave it my all, this team gave it their all. We fought to the end.”
Watkins finished with 25 points, six rebounds, five assists, a steal and three blocks on 9 of 16 from the field, including 3 of 4 from behind the arc, as she showed why she’s a Naismith Player of the Year candidate.
The Trojans have had some trouble against ranked opponents this season, and some of their weaknesses were once again on display — namely turnovers, as they coughed it up 18 times. They were able to escape with their best win of the season, however, which will give them a big boost as they continue a difficult stretch. Three of their next four opponents will be ranked, including No. 8 Maryland on Jan. 8.
As for the Huskies, this was their second defeat in as many tries against top-10 opponents this season. While they’ve looked dominant at times against lesser top-25 foes, they’re still searching for a signature win. Given their Big East schedule, they’ll have to wait a while for another try. They won’t play a ranked team again until they travel to Tennessee on Feb. 6, and their only remaining top-10 opponent is South Carolina on Feb. 16.
