March Madness 2022: Bueckers scores 15; UConn beats Indiana to reach Elite 8

Over the previous 25 years, UConn has been identified for placing collectively prolonged scoring runs that flip tight video games into blowouts.

Paige Bueckers and the Huskies put collectively a basic one to start the second half in opposition to Indiana on Saturday and transfer into this system’s sixteenth consecutive regional closing.

Bueckers’ 3-pointer to open the third quarter started the 16-0 onslaught and the Huskies ran away from Indiana 75-58 within the Bridgeport Regional.

“We began pushing the ball in transition extra; we obtained a number of simple buckets there,” Bueckers mentioned. “I assumed we performed with lots higher tempo and only a lot higher vitality.”

Bueckers and Christyn Williams every scored 15 factors and Azzi Fudd had 13 to steer UConn, which faces top-seeded North Carolina State on Monday night time in an try and earn a 14th straight journey to the Ultimate 4.

Nevertheless it was within the lane the place the Huskies dominated. Olivia Nelson-Ododa had a double-double with 10 factors and 14 rebounds and Connecticut (28-5) outscored the Hoosiers 46-32 within the paint. UConn additionally outrebounded Indiana 39-27, together with 15-2 on the offensive finish.

“All through the season rebounding has been a degree of emphasis, particularly from the coaches,” Nelson-Ododa mentioned. “Simply going on the market at the moment, staying in an aggressive mentality and simply preserve attacking, preserve crashing the boards was actually enormous for us.”

Ali Patberg, in her seventh 12 months of school basketball due to switch and COVID-19 guidelines, had 16 factors for the third-seeded Hoosiers, who end their season at 24-9. Grace Berger had 13 factors and Mackenzie Holmes added 12 for Indiana.

“I’m not loser,” Patberg mentioned. “So this isn’t how I envisioned going out. However I’m simply grateful that Coach (Teri) Moren believed in me 5 years in the past and gave me a chance to put on Hoosier on my chest. I simply hope that the time I had at IU folks simply keep in mind how laborious I performed and I used to be teammate and labored as laborious as I might.”

Indiana opened the sport with an 8-2 run, however UConn got here again to steer 37-33 on the half.

Williams’ layup put UConn up by double digits for the primary time at 44-33. A free throw from Aaliyah Edwards (9 factors, 10 rebounds) capped the run and gave the Huskies their first 20-point benefit at 53-33.

“Throughout that stretch there was a glance about us that we felt exceptionally assured,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma mentioned. “We knew precisely the place we had been going. We knew the place the ball was going. We knew the place the photographs had been coming from. We might decide and select which photographs we wished to take, and we obtained extra layups than we had gotten within the earlier two quarters.”

Indiana outscored UConn 13-6 to shut the quarter and lower the deficit to 11 halfway by means of the fourth quarter on a basket by Holmes.

However Bueckers responded on the different finish and the Hoosiers couldn’t shut the hole any additional.

TESTING THE LEG

The Huskies obtained a first-quarter scare when Bueckers went down on a steal try and grabbed her surgically repaired left knee. She ran to the bench and had it labored on by trainers, however returned for the beginning of the second quarter. She performed 33 minutes in her eighth recreation again from the damage that saved her out greater than two months.

“It’s been just a little little bit of discovering ourselves once more, how a lot can we wish to cheer for Paige and the way a lot do we have to simply play basketball and make photographs and let her determine her personal means out on the market,” Auriemma mentioned. “Right now she took a extra assertive function, which I like for her to do.”

STRANGE PLAY

Indiana benefited from a weird play that ended the primary half. UConn’s Edwards tossed a missed layup from Holmes out of bounds, apparently believing the clock had expired. However that gave the Hoosiers the ball again with 1.2 seconds left. That was sufficient time for a 3-pointer by Aleksa Gulbe earlier than the halftime buzzer.

BIG PICTURE

Indiana: At 24-9, completed a win shy of this system file. The No. 3 seed was the best in program historical past within the NCAA Event for the Hoosiers, who had been enjoying of their second straight Candy 16 after making it to the regional finals final 12 months.

“Our chemistry has been off the charts the final two seasons, and numerous it has to do with not simply because they’re good basketball gamers however as a result of they’re good youngsters, and so they like one another, and so they care about one another,” Moren mentioned.

UConn: The Huskies haven’t given up 60 factors since Feb. 11, after they beat DePaul 84-60. They’d held their earlier 10 opponents to 51 factors or fewer, giving up 40 factors or fewer in seven of these video games.

UP NEXT

UConn will face North Carolina State Monday night time within the regional closing.