UConn Wins Elite 8 Thriller

03/29/2022 UConn Wins Elite 8 Thriller

By: Jeff Yoder

#2 UConn & #1 Louisville Join #1 South Carolina & #1 Stanford in Women’s Final Four

The women’s Final Four saw its last two tickets punched on Monday night starting with an instant classic between UConn and NC State, featuring a Paige Bueckers takeover. Louisville outlasted Michigan in the nightcap to round out the Final Four. Both teams will join the other two 1-seeds — #1 South Carolina and #1 Stanford — in Minneapolis for this weekend’s Final Four. The stage is set, and the last weekend of college hoops is almost here. Let’s recap last night’s action starting with the must-see finish in Bridgeport.

 

#2 UConn def. #1 NC State (91-87, 2OT)

The thriller we needed! Monday’s opener marked the first-ever double-overtime game in the Elite 8 or later in women’s NCAA Tournament history. UConn and NC State went back and forth all night with 26 lead changes until Connecticut sophomore Paige Bueckers took over in the extra periods. Bueckers missed just one shot in the overtime periods and poured in 15 points (27 total). The trio of Bueckers (27), Christyn Williams (21) and Azzi Fudd (19) combined for 67. It’s the 14th consecutive trip to the Final Four for UConn (22nd overall). The Huskies persevered through numerous injuries all season long to reach Minneapolis, and a date with #1 Stanford awaits.

 

#1 Louisville def. #3 Michigan (62-50)

The third 1-seed to join the Final Four was Louisville in the Monday nightcap. The Cardinals blitz the Wolverines by 10 points in the 4th quarter to pull away down the stretch via free throws. Louisville held Michigan to just 16 field goals, and Hailey Van Lith was the star with 22 points. Michigan’s Naz Hillmon finished off her collegiate career with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Louisville is heading back to the Final Four for the first time since 2018. They’ve never won the title, but they’ve finished runner-up in the National Championship twice before (2009 & 2013).

 

Women’s Final Four Schedule

#1 South Carolina vs. #1 Louisville (Fri. 7:00 pm ET)

#1 Stanford vs. #2 UConn (Fri. 9:00 pm ET)

National Championship (Sun. 8:00 pm ET)

 

Additional Storylines

ESPN: UConn’s Double-OT Win Over NC State an Instant Classic

Yahoo! Sports: Hailey Van Lith Powers Louisville Past Michigan Into Final Four

 

Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty Images