UConn’s Paige Bueckers, back, defends USC’s Rayah Marshall during the first half of their NCAA Tournament regional final on Monday night in Portland, Ore. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)
USC guard JuJu Watkins drives to the basket as UConn guard Paige Bueckers defends during the first half of their NCAA Tournament regional final on Monday night in Portland, Oregon. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
USC guard JuJu Watkins (12) blocks the shot of UConn guard Paige Bueckers (5) during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb coaches during the first half against the Connecticut Huskies in the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Moda Center on April 01, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)
USC guard JuJu Watkins shoots during the first half of their game against UConn in the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Moda Center on April 01, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
USC center Rayah Marshall (13) and UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards go for the tip-off during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
USC center Rayah Marshall (13) and UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards go for the tip-off during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
USC guard JuJu Watkins, right, shoots the ball over UConn guard Qadence Samuels, second from right, during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
USC guard JuJu Watkins, right, drives to the basket against UConn forward Ice Brady, left, during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
USC guard JuJu Watkins, right, drives to the basket against UConn forward Ice Brady (25) during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
UConn guard Ashlynn Shade (12) shoots a 3-point shot during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game against USC in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
UConn guard Paige Bueckers (5) shoots a 3-point shot during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game against USC in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
UConn guard Paige Bueckers (5) dribbles the ball as USC guard McKenzie Forbes (25) defends during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
USC guard McKenzie Forbes (25) smiles while running down the court during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game against UConn in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
UConn head coach Geno Auriemma gestures to players during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game against USC in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards, left, and KK Arnold (2) help Paige Bueckers up during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game against USC in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
USC guard Kayla Williams (4) reacts to a call during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game against UConn in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards points to the crowd after scoring during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game against USC in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
USC center Rayah Marshall (13) grab a rebound during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game against UConn in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
UConn guard Paige Bueckers (5) tries to block USC guard McKenzie Forbes (25) during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
UConn players Nika Muhl (10) Aaliyah Edwards (3) and Paige Bueckers (5) talk KK Arnold as they help her up during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game against USC in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards reacts to a call during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game against USC in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
UConn guard Paige Bueckers (5) shoots as USC guard McKenzie Forbes (25) defends during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
USC guard JuJu Watkins (12) shoots as UConn guard Paige Bueckers (5) defends during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
UConn assistant coach Jamelle Elliott, left, and head coach Geno Auriemma, right, react to a call during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game against USC in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
UConn assistant coach Jamelle Elliott, center, talks with head coach Geno Auriemma, right, during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game against USC in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
USC guard Kayla Padilla (45) looks to get around UConn guard Nika Muhl (10) during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
UConn guard Nika Muhl (10) talks with head coach Geno Auriemma during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game against USC in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
USC guard McKenzie Forbes (25) reacts to a call as UConn guard Paige Bueckers (5) looks on during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
UConn guard Paige Bueckers (5) shoots as USC center Clarice Akunwafo (34) defends during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
USC center Rayah Marshall (13) shoots as UConn guard Paige Bueckers (5) defends during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
USC guard JuJu Watkins (12) drives to the basket past UConn guard Paige Bueckers (5) during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
USC guard JuJu Watkins (12) shoots as UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards (3) and Nika Muhl (10) defend during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
UConn guard KK Arnold (2) shoots during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game against USC in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
USC guard McKenzie Forbes reacts during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game against UConn in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards (3) shoots during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game against USC in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards (3) looks for a shot during the first half of an Elite Eight college basketball game against USC in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
USC players help JuJu Watkins (12) up during the second half of an Elite Eight college basketball game against UConn in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
USC guard JuJu Watkins, left, goes after a loose ball with UConn guard Nika Muhl, right, during the second half of an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
USC guard JuJu Watkins, right, shoots the ball over UConn guard Paige Bueckers, left, during the second half of an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards (3) falls to the court with USC’s JuJu Rayah Marshall (13) after being fouled during the second half of an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
UConn guard Paige Bueckers, right, drives to the basket against USC guard JuJu Watkins, center, during the second half of an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
USC guard JuJu Watkins, right, dribbles the ball as forward Kaitlyn Davis, left sets a pick on UConn guard Paige Bueckers during the second half of an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
USC guard JuJu Watkins, center, drives to the hoop against UConn guard Ashlynn Shade, back center, during the second half of an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb coaches during the second half against the Connecticut Huskies in the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Moda Center on April 01, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)
USC guard McKenzie Forbes (25) helps UConn guard Paige Bueckers (5) up during the second half of an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
The UConn bench cheers during the second half of an Elite Eight college basketball game against USC in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
USC guard JuJu Watkins reacts after a play during the first half against the Connecticut Huskies in the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Moda Center on April 01, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
USC guard JuJu Watkins (12) talks with an referee during the second half of an Elite Eight college basketball game against UConn in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
USC guard JuJu Watkins (12) tries to get around UConn guard Qadence Samuels during the second half of an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
USC guard JuJu Watkins, center, shoots as UConn forward Ice Brady (25) defends during the second half of an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
USC guard JuJu Watkins (12) reacts after having a shot blocked during the second half of an Elite Eight college basketball game against UConn in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
USC guard JuJu Watkins reacts to a call during the second half of an Elite Eight college basketball game against UConn in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
UConn guard Nika Muhl (10) cheers after an Elite Eight college basketball game against USC in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. UConn won 80-73. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
UConn guard Paige Bueckers reacts as the game ends during an Elite Eight college basketball game against USC in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
UConn guard Paige Bueckers celebrates after winning an Elite Eight college basketball game against USC in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards, left, and UConn guard Paige Bueckers (5) celebrate their win against USC in an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards, left, and UConn guard Paige Bueckers celebrate their win in an Elite Eight college basketball game against USC in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
The UConn team celebrates after winning the Elite Eight college basketball game against USC in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
UConn players celebrate their win over USC in an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
UConn guard Paige Bueckers, right, hugs guard Nika Muhl after their win over USC in an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards celebrates the win over USC in an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
UConn head coach Geno Auriemma, right, celebrates the win over USC in an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
A fan records UConn Geno Auriemma during the celebration over USC in an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards, middle, and guard Paige Bueckers, right, celebrate the win over USC in an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards, left, and guard Paige Bueckers celebrate the win over USC in an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
UConn guard Paige Bueckers, right, celebrates after a win over USC in an Elite Eight college basketball game in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
USC players huddle before an Elite Eight college basketball game against UConn in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Howard Lao)
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PORTLAND, Ore. — The realization dawned in JuJu Watkins’ eyes, catching in her throat and squeezing her voice to mush.
Has this year fulfilled everything you wanted when you came to USC? Yes. Of course. Everything and more. But ithad – past tense – because this press conference was a finality, Paige Bueckers and UConn knocking USC out of the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, 80-73, on Monday night, ensuring there would be no miracle Final Four run in store for Watkins in her freshman year.
“I have the best teammates in the world, and, um, I’m just glad, that –” Watkins struggled, each word wriggling its way through emotional barbs.
She put her hand over her eyes, rubbing her forehead. That, she mumbled again, trying to finish a sentence that had no chance of escaping.Uh,she fought, fighting like she always did, rubbing her eyes incessantly as the emotions of the loss enveloped. Senior McKenzie Forbes, sitting next to her, patted Watkins’ thigh encouragingly. And the freshman simply gave up, collapsing into a mess of laughter and sobs, gratitude and pain.
In the locker room, postgame, USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb implored to them: what they had done – 29-6, earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, single-handedly boosting USC to national prominence – was unique, and something she would never forget. An hour later, seniors Kayla Padilla and McKenzie Forbes exchanged an appreciative hug, the one-time Ivy League transfers processing the end of a group that will go down in special memory in USC lore.
“I think it just hurts so bad because we’ve had such an amazing run, and we just never wanted it to end,” Padilla said a moment later, red-rimmed eyes crinkling in a smile.
“Really just revived what it means to be a women’s basketball player in Los Angeles,” Padilla continued a beat later, “and specifically, for this university, I think we’re changing the narrative.”
They changed the narrative, undoubtedly. How the country sees USC women’s basketball, as Gottlieb said after the loss, is forever different now, because of them. Because of Watkins, the freshman who shattered one final record – the NCAA single-season mark for most points scored by a freshman – in a 29-point performance against third-seeded UConn (33-5). Because of Forbes, the transfer who had become one of the most dependable crunch-time scorers in the country. Because of Padilla, and fellow Ivy transfer Kaitlyn Davis, and inside presence Rayah Marshall, and every piece of the roster, top to bottom.
But they left more on the table. And so the tears came.
“We had our sights on Cleveland,” Gottlieb said.
They were shot down, ultimately, by Bueckers, the transcendent junior authoring another chapter in a remarkable comeback story Monday night. 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. She finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists in a do-everything performance, torching USC down the stretch with a string of fourth-quarter baskets.
Up by one, 4:13 left: twisting fall-away from the baseline over Forbes.
Up by three, 30 seconds later: above-the-break 3-pointer.
Up by nine, 1:41 left: short jumper in the paint. Dagger.
“I don’t know Paige personally, but to see that kid be out for two years and come back and do this, as much hurt as we’re in, they earned it, and I credit them,” Gottlieb said.
And the end times crept on USC late, legendary UConn coach Geno Auriemma solving the Watkins-and-company puzzle as well as any coach had all season. Huskies defenders bumped Watkins for 40 minutes off the ball, two or three defenders locking on her with homing missiles on catches at the top of the key.
“(UConn) played great defense. Every time I got past the first line, someone was there,” Watkins said.
Forbes, a Robin who had increasingly answered the bat-signal down the stretch, chipped in with 24 points and a number of big-time baskets in the second half. But Watkins’ gravity off the ball didn’t open shots for post players or other perimeter threats like it had in the past, and the outcome USC had avoided for a solid month dawned: as Watkins was reasonably contained (9-for-25 shooting), her teammates didn’t quite have enough firepower, the Trojans finishing 33% from the field on the night.
On Sunday morning, Gottlieb had a brief conversation with Forbes, telling the senior that she and Watkins would split time on Bueckers. And when the starting lineups assembled for the tip-off Monday night, Forbes trotted over to stand next to Buecker, the two of them exchanging a few words, a slight deviation from the Watkins-Bueckers clash that the Moda Center – and countless households glued to their televisions – expected.
“When you tune in for JuJu, you see Kaitlyn Davis and Kayla Padilla, Rayah (Marshall), and Kenzie,” Gottlieb said on Sunday.
And the world saw Forbes, early. Saw her eyes steely, brow furrowed, attached at Bueckers’ hip. This was a woman who had gotten into Harvard as a transfer, a feat nearly dictated impossible by pure percentage points, a woman without fear. And she attacked early, draining a pull-up 3-pointer in transition, finishing a floater off glass through a body-bump and pumping her first in glee.
But as Auriemma said on Sunday, the Huskies had a problem USC might not have been able to solve. And Bueckers was a unique puzzle. As Forbes draped all over her, she back cut twice for a layup and a foul in the first quarter. Her shot activated in the second after UConn burst for an 18-4 run to swing momentum, matching Watkins after the freshman hit back-to-back 3-pointers on her head, coming back down for back-to-back pull-up jumpers.
Coming out of the halftime break in a tie game, UConn blitzed USC amid a string of missed jumpers, big Aaliyah Edwards – who dominated with 24 points – finishing a layup to cap off an early 8-0 run. The Trojans clung to the reins, with a big-time 3-pointer in transition from Taylor Bigby and then a corner 3-pointer from Padilla to beat the third-quarter buzzer to hold UConn’s lead to four. But Bueckers buried them in the fourth despite Watkins’ best efforts to keep up, the freshman scoring 13 in the period.
And a potential solution to the Bueckers problem never materialized. Gottlieb said afterward that USC’s defensive game plan was to switch on Bueckers on every ball-screen, and there were times when “the coverage didn’t go exactly as we wanted” – but even with the switching, freshman Watkins stayed marooned off Bueckers for much of the night. She could only watch defensively as the UConn junior filled it up in waning minutes defensively, and Bueckers snared a final rebound and roared in joy as the Huskies advanced to a record 23rd national semifinal.
As an emotional Watkins bowed her head in postgame handshake lines, Bueckers embraced her. Hey, bro, that was a good one, she appeared to say, in a video captured by UConn’s social team. Good game. Good game.
And Watkins trudged off the floor, rubbing her jersey over her eyes, gratitude masked in this moment by the pain.
