HARTFORD, Conn. — In a marquee matchup Saturday night, No. 7 USC defeated perennial powerhouse No. 4 Connecticut 72-70, avenging its Elite Eight loss to the Huskies in April and strengthening its status as one of the nation’s elite teams.
Undeterred playing in front of a sold-out crowd on the road, USC opened the game with a 9-0 run, capitalizing on cold shooting and defensive lapses from the Huskies. Buoyed by 15 points from JuJu Watkins, the Trojans shot 48.6% from the floor in the first half, including seven for 11 from three-point range, to take a 42-29 lead at halftime.
Connecticut came out of the locker room with increased intensity, forcing seven Trojan turnovers and limiting Watkins to four points in the third quarter. Propelled by nine points from guard Paige Bueckers, the Huskies outscored USC (11-1) in the third, cutting their deficit to six points entering the fourth quarter.
In a thrilling fourth quarter, Connecticut (10-2) continued to chip away at USC’s lead. The Huskies took their first and only lead when freshman Sarah Strong scored on a layup with 4:34 left.
USC regained the lead moments later, but the Huskies blew a chance to potentially win the game in the closing seconds. With USC leading by three, Watkins was called for a foul on Strong on a three-point shot. Strong made her first free throw, but missed her second attempt. After Strong missed her final free throw, Bueckers grabbed the rebound on the second missed free throw. She managed to feed the ball back to Strong, who missed a logo three the buzzer.
Watkins finished with 25 points, six rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Kiki Iriafen had 16 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.
Bueckers and Strong each had 22 points.
The Trojans make their Big Ten debut Dec. 29 against No. 20 Michigan at the Galen Center.
Connecticut guard Paige Bueckers takes a shot in front of USC guard Avery Howell (23) and center Rayah Marshall (13) in the first half Saturday.
(Jessica Hill / Associated Press)