Huskies use defense to move on to finals
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Injury-decimated UConn needed Paige Bueckers even more than usual on Sunday.
The Big East Player of the year came through, scoring 27 points and grabbing 12 rebounds to lead the No. 9 Huskies to a 58-29 win over Marquette in the Big East Tournament semifinals.
Bueckers ended the third quarter with a long buzzer-beating three-pointer. She dribbled across halfcourt, then behind her back, before making a move to her right and launching a contested deep three-pointer from the wing. She ran to the bench and chest bumped guard KK Arnold as the team celebrated.
Her shot made it 47-29. Freshman forward Ice Brady, making just her second start, added 10 points for the short-handed Huskies (28-5) who had just seven available players after losing star center Aaliyah Edwards to a facial injury after she was struck in the nose in the win over Providence on Saturday.
Injuries had already put five other players out for the season.
“It’s remarkable the way players like Paige can summon up what’s needed in any given game and then execute it,” Coach Geno Auriemma said.
“She’s different,” he added. “That’s it. She’s different.”
Liza Karlen had 12 points and nine rebounds to lead Marquette (23-8), which made just 12 baskets on 54 shots (22%) and scored its last points with 4:49 left in the third quarter.
UConn never trailed in the game.
Bueckers took Edwards’ place for the opening tip, won it, flexed toward the bench and then hit a layup.
The Huskies opened the game on a 9-0 run, holding Marquette without a point for the first six minutes of the game. The Golden Eagles missed their first 11 shots.
“I thought we had open shots and just didn’t see it, and then when we got them, we weren’t able to make them,” Marquette Coach Megan Duffy said.
The Huskies led by as many as 13 points in the second quarter and 31-20 at the break.
UConn extended that in the third period and Bueckers’ long three-pointer as the quarter expired gave the Huskies a 47-29 lead and firm control of the game.
“From the opening tip … you just felt the hunger, the passion and the energy that we had,” Bueckers said. “It helped to get a strong start like that, but it continued throughout the whole entire game.”
Bueckers finished 11 of 16 from the floor. She also had 4 assists, 4 blocked shots and 3 steals. She left the game with three minutes left to a standing ovation.
GEORGETOWN 55, NO. 21 CREIGHTON 46
Kelsey Ransom scored 14 points to lead sixth-seeded Georgetown to an upset of No. 21 Creighton.
Alex Cowan added 12 points for the Hoyas (22-10), who have won six games in a row to earn the program’s first trip to the conference championship game and strengthen their case for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Morgan Maly had 14 points, but hit just five of her 15 shots for the No. 2 seed Bluejays (25-5), who saw their four-game win streak snapped.
Georgetown led by three points at halftime, then scored the first 10 points of the third quarter and never trailed in the second half.
Ariel Jenkins followed up a missed layup from Grace Bennet for a putback and a foul shot to give the Hoyas their first double-digit lead at 33-23, and a three-pointer from Cowen pushed the advantage to 13 and forced a Creighton timeout.
The Hoyas led by eight points, 41-33 heading into he fourth quarter and were able to keep the Bluejays at arms length over the final 10 minutes.