WATCH: UConn star Paige Bueckers consoles an emotional JuJu Watkins following Huskies' Elite Eight win over USC

UConn star Paige Bueckers consoles an emotional JuJu Watkins
UConn star Paige Bueckers consoles an emotional JuJu Watkins

Paige Bueckers and the UConn Huskies dumped the USC Trojans out of March Madness with an 80-73 win in the Elite Eight on Monday. After missing out on action for two years, the guard has been on a roll this season, taking her team deep into the postseason.

Bueckers displayed excellent sportsmanship post-game, as she was seen comforting an emotional JuJu Watkins. Here's the video:

A still teary-eyed Watkins revealed her plans for the next season while speaking to the media:

"I think just coming up short, that adds a lot of fuel to the fire for the next couple years. I'm just excited to go back home and get in the gym now.
"And I'm really focused on learning from this season as a whole and things I can improve on. Definitely, my efficiency and stuff like that. But I'm just grateful for this year because I've have grown a lot."

UConn ruins JuJu Watkins' historic night with a close win

The game seemed to go in the Trojans' favor, as they got off to a dominant start with an eight-point lead in the first quarter. However, things changed in the second, as UConn took the lead and stayed in control until the final buzzer.

The game was tied a few seconds before half-time, at 33-33, and later at 59-59 in the fourth quarter. Despite the efforts from Watkins & Co., the game had many lulls in scoring from the Trojans, which cost them the win.

JuJu Watkins made history, as she topped the NCAA Division I all-time freshman scoring list. She ended the game with 29 points, bringing her season total to 920 points and breaking a 40-year-old record set by San Diego State's Tina Hutchinson (898) during her freshman season in 1984.

Other players on the list include Ohio State's Kelsey Mitchell (873), Texas A&M's Chennedy Carter (816) and Iowa guard Caitlin Clark (799 points). USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb spoke to the media post-game (via ESPN):

“For the most part, this was a really good basketball game, and they beat us. They did a little bit better of what they do than we do.”

For the UConn Huskies, the next opponent on their road to the finals is Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes. The two teams tip off on Apr. 5.

Also Read: “Forbes tryna get to it”: $100M worth Damian Lillard heaps praise on USC's JuJu Watkins amid thrilling performance against Paige Bueckers’ UConn

What could Alabama basketball's 2024-25 starting lineup look like? Find out here

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