Full Game : UConn vs USC - April 1, 2024 | NCAA ELITE EIGHT

thanks to Ryan Majestic Mount Hood as a front row seat in Portland as we fill the last spot in the final four with USC or Yukon our Blockbuster night continues with an all-American double feature the bright lights of La shy on the freshman sensation Juju Watkins his Trojans continue to fight with a championship within reach for the first time in 40 years Paige Beckers knows all about the spotlight helping her Huskies navigate a difficult path to Elite 8 on the brink of another championship Chase welcome to the championship NCAA women's basketball presented by Capital One three teams head to Cleveland one more ticket to grab tonight to join undefeated South Carolina in the NC State team that started the year unranked and Caitlyn Clark's Iowa hawkey Hi everyone and welcome to the Mota Center.

I'm Beth Mowans along with Debbie Antonelli and Angel Grey. and our star-studded night continues here in Portland with our Exfinity Reactive Game Players Juju Watkins and Paige Beckers. Well, we're in for a real treat after Caitlyn Clark's 41 points. How about what we could see from Ju Guu Watkins? Here it is. an All-American freshman can score all over the court, from three points to the basket, gets to the free throw line, incredible body control, she is often featured in their offense and for Yukon it is Paige Beckers, another All-American shoots with distance, scores from the rebound. make plays for her teammates, she is the feature on that end of the floor for the Yukon Huskies, these two can fill it, xfinity's most reliable players and as you know we had a problem with the three point line in the court, although it is good news.

Angel, yes, the floor team has been fixed overnight to make sure they fix the three point line that was about 9 from the apex of the Ark. We're back in regulation, so we're back to business. This

game

you called a blockbuster, let's look at some of the stars that Paige Beckers, The Comeback Kid, had to watch off the bench last season averaging 27 points in postseason

game

s and JuJu Watkins, the new kid on the Hollywood's best Block show this year.

eight

points away from taking the D1 freshman scoring record, let's see the Shine Tonight star ladies huskies and blue Trojans and Cardinal and gold as the number one seed and that final ticket to the final four about to be punched.

USC has experience and depth and they have Juju allam who can get a bucket in a late situation, Caleb pillo will take the first long rebound shot of the night towards McKenzie Forbes, they open 0 and two, but a third down comes. Watkins loves to go to the right, she is very right-handed. It is difficult to keep her on the left side of the court, here she returns to the right of it. KK Arnold gets the defensive assignment and charges on the first possession. KK Arnold does a very good job moving his feet. Did it obviously establish official thinking? she made Capital One's starting lineup for the huskies, get used to these faces, you'll see a lot of them, the five of them averaged for 30 minutes, they only used their bench for 13 minutes total in their sweet 16 win over Duke, to what are you facing?

Yukon is 40 minutes of discipline and execution and you have to match that for 40 minutes, the step to the left side of Davis and he is stripped by ni mule, there are your starting five for SC, they are a little deeper, they are a little more big against essentially. a four-guard lineup for Yukon right and Yukon, because they primarily play against five, will be very important for USC to set the benchmarks in the paint, get their post game moving inside and challenge Aiah Edwards Watkins with an off-the-mark midrange pullup. Another offensive rebound and a second chance here for Southern Cow Debbie, very similar to our first game.

These two teams are at their best playing at a fast pace, yes, and it's not just this vertical speed, it's quarter-court speed, like the high five above. open free throw line Lane and Yukon are an

elite

level cutting team Beckers assisted by Edwards Aaliyah the Canadian Olympian tries to invest Juju Watkins on the block and the more shots they can make the paint will open up and will allow them to drive a little. Lane's particular ally for Juju Watkins, who was McKenzie Forbes, one of three Ivy League transfers in Southern Cow's starting lineup, the kickstarter, and here comes Sierra Canyon High School's Watkins, the top recruit who left high school last year.

Marshall tried Tilt it up and you'll watch USC follow Beckers down the court, try to make sure they keep two on it and everyone plays their own player on defense, but half your attention should be on where Pages Watkins on the switch is Arnold again, Juju. leaves it in and a foul will take Rhea Marshall to the line Season 39 for Gino ARA with the 11 titles and uh, this is nothing new for Gino, how about a 28th regional final? The Huskies are 22 and 5 and Debbie won this game 14 times in a row their last loss in the Elite 8 was in 2007 against LSU, most coaches will tell you that this game is the hardest because it is the one that takes you to your dream , which are the final four, if you can navigate this for 40 minutes. takes a little pressure off of you in the final four, frankly, Hopkins Minnesota's Here Comes Beckers as a freshman led Yukon to the final four as a sophomore led Yukon to the final four missed out last year by an injury and now he is trying to get them back.

For the third time in their career, the efficiency with which Yukon plays will be critical for them because they won't be able to break the offensive glass like USC will from the air. Connecticut will push KK Arnold clearly as the fastest player. on the ground with a ball in his hands for the mule Yukon tried to give it to Beckers they were a little in a bad mood the Trojans enter under the direction of Lindsay Gotle in their third season they are back in the Elite 8 for the first time in 30 years they are trying returning to the semifinals for the first time in 38 years, after winning back-to-back championships in 1983 and 1984 with players like Cheryl Miller and Cynthia Cooper and the McGee twins see that Padia has a set called from the bench and that's a doorstep look back trying to pass the ball to Juju, but that was a very good defensive effort by niik mule to not let her cut the back door, she knew the game would come and Chile opened the scoring. game shooting under 30%, you, Yukon's all-time assists leader, then you say something with all their big point guards, Edward, strong to the rim, they make you play from side to side, they speed up, they make you jump towards the ball and then they put it in. to Leah Edwards and she can finish inside in a one-on-one look how open the pain is Forbes calls for the screen to stop on a dime and Edwards with the defensive rebound Arnold there's that explosion they're going To attack Padia as much as can tonight, Baylor used that with some success in their sweet 16 matchup.

Yukon is not a screen-heavy offense, it's more of a pass and cut. I would say it's like 80% pass and cut versus versus a ball screen offense. They could go on a late isolation, which is why Watkins took control of the game in the fourth quarter and got to the free throw line to help them. Moving forward, this is KK Arnold's foot speed, right here he crosses Padilla in transition, does a great job attacking the rim and then Juju Watkins, coming off that screen, gets to the elbow and hits the 15-foot bun to Beth not even to say that about josi all the time she has her own twitter run the bun terasi maybe JuJu has one cooking on social media look here there's a clear way out right here juju going well look at that body check tell it and one and a trip to the line she goes there more than any player in the country was 12 for 13 in that 30 point performance against Baylor the other night, you have to clear four players on the weak side one on one with a mule bucket and one, when we're back, now it's time for Geico to bring you more and the sweet ending leaning towards the defender to commit the foul. there for Juju Watkins and a chance for her and now just three points away from tying Tina Hutchinson for the scoring record in a freshman season dating back to 1984 at San Diego State, let's send it to the ladies Angel Juju Watkins is just She is very crafty when she gets to her spots on the court and it is what Yukon has spent a significant amount of time defending and shooting before, the coach said she contests the shot intelligently, avoids the lethal kick or flail with her lack of depth , something we have been doing. keep your eye too extra fouls are worse than shots off the mark and a foul trying to block Edwards, you know, while we were watching Angel shoot.

Today, Debbie, we noticed that the body size is larger on the south side of the cow. We thought they would throw a lot of people other than Edwards defending here early on the glass, in particular they can go deeper into their bench when they go to guards on one end of the posts, on the other they have three post players that they can use Inside, there's Ed swooping in to eat some glass, his second board on that end, the mule will try three turns. Ashlin the shadow gives him another chance. Paige got the last possession, they're going to isolate her in elra here. go to double That Elbow's entrance back to Beckers looking for three Off the Mark diving mule and missed the Gimme Juju Watkins was defending Paige Beckers in that matchup he got help from pipe Forbes counted from the window and that's that big frame of the we're talking about Beth, it's not the size or the length, it's the girth and muscle of USC's top line players right here, nice crossover, you have a smaller defender with you, it's a good use of the window to hit him and handling contact when you have players that have that kind of size it's hard to get them off their line Lindsay Gotle calls her coach on the court and she just committed the second foul on Ashlin Shay.

This is a really problematic area for huskies, we've talked about how. Their five starters make it almost to the end and the shadow has to go. Cadence Samuels, who didn't play in the sweet 16 game, will come in at 6 feet, a freshman from Maryland, yes, Cadence Samuels hasn't played since even 7 minutes in the Jackson State game. so she hasn't played in Gam's last two games, it's good to have her early because I think coach Orma will need her as the game goes on, it's a 80 run right now for USC to open up this lead in the try. to get it to double digits, Forbes demands it, she has really become their leader playing with a lot of confidence and Poise Paige Beckers will fight back and go right to the pad and draw the foul, that's a matchup right there, well you have to do it.

Run back in transition and you have to stop the ball and when this matchup happens right here, Paige Beckers goes, oh my God, I'm taking this to the hole without hesitation, one little bump and Paige has the ability to rise on her jump shot. . Stronger than she looks, she can handle some contact around the rim, she has elevated her game in the postseason. Gino was telling us that he wants her to be even more adventurous with her shots and her shots, making Juju aant in the pass, I mean, not Juju. needs a lot of space to go where he needs to go, can make a play in a tight space Beckers takes the center off at the plate while leaving it for Edwards USC's transition defense is not good on late possessions KK Arnold scored Paige Becker scored and now Aaliyah Edwards scores Forbes on the Kaya Williams drive and turns it around on the double dribble, here's Beckers, you have to stop the ball and she does a good job crossing and transitioning read the help, she sees the help. she comes in and she just leaves it for an easy two for Edwards.

It's a very well made play by Paige Beckers and Edwards for an easy finish: Big E's Player of the Year and Scholar Athlete of the Year who Gino calls America's Best Player, his versatile talents show a good job by Forbes to deny that cut through the back door. You want Samuels to take this shot if you can limit others to four on the shot clock. Beckers to the top of the key and the long rebound out of bounds. to SC and the officers are going to meet here the initial call was oh no they are going to keep him here with Connecticut lindsy gley wonders who touched him when our mule back door Becker wraps him short and a foul what a tremendous job setting up that back door, I mean, it's all the misdirection and the action on the weak side helps keep the weak side busy, so look at this, right here on the weak side, there's no one there to help everyone who are raised or outside the three-point line. and Beckers does a good job of setting up that cut with a little old-fashioned tub cut if you take your player down the lane and then cut him out the backdoor.

Aken wafa with the lack Paige who, by the way, is 6 feet tall. She is playing in the fourth position and there you can see the jump seven plus

eight

more points pergame now in the postseason he had 24 the other night in the sweet 16 victory Watkins Ru there defensively Juju is two of four from the floor turns left and is forced to give up mid-range Forbes Marshall, he will stay here with 6 seconds on the clock, now Juju Watkins is going to shoot this basketball, she's going to step in and try to get it back, so you gotta make sure. that you marked this player that inbound had to look for a shot Watkins I don't think she made it she didn't throw away the basket shot clock violation I tell you what the Yukon defense has done a pretty good job so far I mean they've held USC getting into any kind of rhythm, they've limited ju guu Watkins' touches, she's two for four from the floor 0 for one outside the three point line, Edward gets underneath, turns the other way and scores, so now Yukon comes with a ball screen. on the naked side and they have had a two-for-one chance here last minute of this first quarter the winner to the final four and a trip to Cleveland date with the Iowa Hawkeyes in the national semifinals on Friday night Edwards will be called for an offensive foul, that's hard to understand for aiyah Edwards now watch Forbes go down and stop it's a beautiful pull-up jumper and then Ali Edwards right here uses her footwork under the basket to spin back and score the shot clock is off here for USC Juju looking for a touch ni mu playing his no catch instead it will be Forbes who calls the the screen at the top gets the switch and drives the block for Beckers p Beckers bringing the D and crushes USC with a lead of two points during the first 10 minutes of our Elite 8 Showdown here in Portland when we return Angel and Gino to the microphone the NCAA women's championship is presented by Capital One what's in your wallet welcome back to Portland a few moments ago angel met with Yukon head coach Gin Orma the coach starting on his defensive end, especially with Paige Beckers on that block late in the first quarter.

What you liked the most was how you've been disrupting his offensive so far. Well, it's not easy to disrupt their offensive. Know? But I think we've done a good job of covering up for each other. You know, obviously, we. They're a lot smaller than them, we're playing small, um, I like, you know, 15 points, 17 points, whatever, I think we've got to get better movement on the other end, you know, we're like, uh, if we can. generate movement to create more one-on-one opportunities for us, you know, right now we're taking too long to get into our sets, so I think we need to clean that up thanks to the coach, tonight's need to know presented by Dick Sporting Goods' entire season has been about surviving up front for Connecticut, they survived their worst start in 37 years, they survived losing five players to injuries and here they are right where they are always fighting for a spot in the final four and really Debbie is a team.

If Yukon can ever fly under the radar, it has been on the national scene with all the attention elsewhere, they are knocking on the door, well there is no doubt that the cornerstone of Coach Orma's success is discipline and execution, I mean, it's difficult. it coincides with 40 minutes and you have to bring 40 minutes because there will be no disappointments, possession will not be taken away, that is not their culture and they share the ball at a very high rate, they are fourth in the nation. and assist and they're playing small but they're tough and they're going to fight every possession now, can you match that in this setting where they've had so much success?

Yes, the big moment really happened on January 3rd, it's been a season now. Before Aubrey and after Aubrey, she was the last of the big injuries and the star trio of her met with Gino and it was basically choosing how you want to respond to adversity. They have had 22 and two since then, all their losses this year. non-conference for the teams that made it to the Sweet 16 all the very athletic teams NC State South Carolina USC will keep it here, you will see that they have more players in street clothes than in uniforms that can enter the game, it has been a crazy season in Yukon, what you want to do is try to run some things where Samuel switches to Juju Watkins just like that, Padilla, but then you have to recognize him and get him the Nik basketball mule running with Arnold the pull. up and Nik mu has it Nik mule doesn't look to score very often, he's certainly capable, but especially in transition he has to be a threat, let's see if they look to get a touch on Juju, it's been about seven minutes since his last shot attempt Marshall to turn I think it was a pass I think it was a pass Davis let's go with a pass we'll give him that yeah, yesterday we talked to Raya Marshall what it would look like on your stat line if you didn't make him score a point to help his team win and she said things like that pass box off the screen running down the court hard defending on her switches defending her ball screen coverage the Los Angeles native so proud of not only the renaissance of this team but how the city has truly hugged them Juju from the center into double traffic coming a foul without a whistle I mean that's a foul Lindsy Gotle I can't believe it much contact on that shot attempt here's Beckers coming off the line man they call it two but they will check it on the next stop, beautiful, I mean the exit cut from the basket to the corner to organize the feet.

Foul, way up, they'll call Arnold, let's see if he got his feet off the line, watch the sprint right here. good job imitating Aaliyah Edwards and you know what I, this is what happens with Paige and Ju Guu they both just play, you know, continue, make a play, move on to the next play, rarely a show of emotion, Wow. There's no whistle on that last drive, but there's a whistle on the ho, the last two on the right, with two hands on the right, you have to get your, you have to have freedom of movement and now it's two in a mule, so two of the starters with two fouls here in the first.

The half for Yukon really has no choice but to keep her in the game, she played the

full

40 the other night, so now give the ball to Juju Watkins in that matchup right here, well there's a lot of ball contact here, she It's Beckers. comes to help the double to make him give up Davis outside of Mark Edwards able to tip Beckers Arnold good change of direction floats him and in the transition game good for Yukon from the beginning look at the fight right now blocking the foul on Arnold and now she I have two that look at KK Arnold doing a good job attacking inside and look at how quickly USC moves the ball out of bounds, it goes the other way, it's been physical, now the referees have made it clear here , you know, now the players have to adapt, she does. become the third Husky with two fouls Davis Forbes falls short on the shot.

I'll tell you one thing. I don't think USC has gotten into any offensive rhythm, but you have to give some of that credit to Yukon, just 29% shooting and just 1 of 6 this quarter Good help from the pedal on that drive Samuels' open look on him understood now, that would be what is called confidence 70 Run for the Huskies' mule passes the Triple to an open Samuels, the 6-foot freshman had not played in the last games and hits a triple here Paige Beckers, the American, he's scoring in a variety of ways, look at him setting up the backdoor cut, look at the weak side, no one has a foot in the paint because Yukon can shoot the three to get him open. down the lane and she goes for the backdoor in transition, a matchup that she knows she can take and then she just does a great job working that screening action at the baseline, he goes outside the three-point line and then, in transition again, low inside Edwards impacting the stat sheet in multiple categories they changed that two to a three for Becker she's in double digits on this end of the floor it's been 8 minutes since Juju last took a shot during that stretch a 19-5 Yukon run that she ends up going out by three and JuJu Watkins just set the national freshman scoring record surpassing Tina Hutchinson and a record that has stood since 1984, her next 900th Point for the year , it's impressive what she's been able to do as a freshman, but she knew she wanted to stay home and she stayed home and committed to Lindsey Gotle in a season where they only won 12 games.

Look at that false foot to create a little separation. All you're trying to do is get the D to lean over and let him get into the rhythm of his jump shot, something he's probably done a million times with Edwards to the line, one of the reasons for his success. , you know, USC is 11, 15 of their last 16 games, including the Pack 12 tournament championship, they haven't needed to trust. On Juju, the others have really figured out how to play her and increased her point production even though we know Juju can make 30 if she needs to. Well, Lindsey Gotley told us after they lost to Washington, which was a bummer the next day at practice, she shows up Juju and practice is like a pro, they go ahead and come together and decide this is what they want to be. , they want to be a team that makes it to the tournament and wins and then the next game, she puts up 51 on Tara vanderville's Stanford team, which was a USC record more than any of their Legends, a handful of whom are in the Hall of Fame.

Forbes got a piece of that, look how she has three blue shirts around her Debbie, I mean, draw. in the crowd she puts the defender on her hip up transition now she has an isolation on one side of the court oh wow that's number three on KK Arnold and the first sign of foul trouble for Yukon still at five minutes to go here in the first. half 26-22 Yukon on top Juju Watkins Paige Beckers highlighting our star-studded night en route to the final four, the numbers are in for Beckers and Watkins tonight after that Caitlyn Clark Extravaganza 41 points in Iowa's win over LSU eliminating the defending national champions and moving on to face the winner of this on Friday night, which will be the last game by the way, the first game will be undefeated South Carolina and the Cinderella group NC State due to the problems of fouls that coach orama has already committed. an adjustment now has a mule on Padilla in the changeup, draws Watkins KK Arnold is out of the game with three fouls, they are down, a starter Watkins stays off the line and hits Beckers and this is exactly what we came for see here. that we want to see that one-on-one confrontation from time to time, two leading scorers demonstrate it with an average of more than 27 points per game in the postseason and Beckers with a dozen, it is so obvious if you are defending that both coaches are going to go to their All-Americans out of timeout every time there is a dead ball situation both coaches are going to run and run plays for their All-Americans the held ball will stay here Watkins almost made a miracle play look at this little back and forth little string of drug action and then the stick from the top of the key and then on the other side Paige Becker is a little banged up to create some separation, both so highly skilled in one of the airs and one of the airs apparent in college B baseball feminine that Beckers has.

She already announced that she will return next year for another season and Watkins next season will welcome the nation's No. 1 recruiting class to join her. Padia, he won't throw the big lineup on the court for gin orama because he has Ice Brady out there and Paige Becker will again stay in that matchup with Juju Watkins Lindsay Gotle has multiple defenders she can run against Paige Becker and here is Ice Brady now doing one game appearance for Connecticut Beckers, three deep hits, okay, yeah, I love the Watkins offense, that won't do it. come on Brady grabs the rebound both teams now have a rhythm, right, it's a small counterattack neither team has had a transition basket in a while USC has adjusted and eliminated it with three minutes left in the first half Beckers look for more doesn't get the roll there she'll stay on this end well that's an action that certainly works Paige from a weak side wobbles look at this right here a little dribble handoff you sink she's going to pull the trigger on that beautiful one I love it If the stage is all lined up and the ball barely touches the rim, Samuels will try to score three.

There has been a lot of attention elsewhere in the women's game and right

full

y so, but Beckers, a three-time AllAmerican, has led the Huskies to the final four. already a couple of times in her career and trying to make a splash here at the end of the season with this great lineup. Coach Orma likes horn sets. Brady is trying to find his way around her. Edwards, a good help defense and blocking from Marshall, thethird best shot blocker in Southern Cal. the mule of history does not let her get to the right Beckers comes to help Forbes the fly for short is three of 12 from the center hear the NCAA Women's Championship continues next weekend week with the final four from Cleveland the final four special on Friday night at 6 East Carolina and then NC State from South Carolina will open the night in the first matchup.

Don Staley's Crew looks strong and the big favorites to win a third National Championship do not rule out the wolf pack, they have made an incredible run to get here and the Ice lefty Brady knocks down a shot to the spike boy any score in the bench for Connecticut is house money Marshall good find from Forbes since the rebound was not organized and transitioned into defensive end Yukon, this is where one wonders if F fatigue could play a role I bet because USC has a chance at this moment with this lineup on the court for Yukon to really try to attack and reach here in Marshall's half and a foul in the last minute of this first half, hey, Wednesday, Jason Tatum on the Celtics. host the Western Conference leaving the Thunder at 7:30 This first game of our double header then the Cavs face KD and the Suns trying to get out of the tournament in play our coverage chips Inside the countdown at 7 Eastern on ESPN and the Marshall app takes down the first, a proud paint patrol car.

Debbie knows his role and does it well. She averages a double double and has been a big presence on The Rim on both sides. She runs hard down the court. She is an excellent blocker according to Juju Watkins, the best blocker of her. Beckers dives with her right hand, she has a two for one chance right here if you attack Watkins quickly from the center, the drive and a foul, she has doubts, explosive movements, she goes to the right and you are not going to stop her, you really have You have to bring two to the ball and you have to make her go to the left, but I think Beth is one of the best ways to try to do it.

Protecting her is just keeping her on the right side and loading your defense she wants to go to the right on Instead of trying to make her go left in that situation you just have to make her stop the ball an average of 22 shots per game an average of eight free throw attempts per game, the second leading scorer in the country this year behind Caitlyn Clark and the leader of this dynamic freshman class across the country. USC will get the ball back unless the Huskies can get the offensive rebound back and that's a holding foul on Forbes. they both hold, but Forbes is going to be penalized for that, that's her second SC still has a couple of fouls to make if necessary Forbes checks on Taylor Bigby is on the shot clock, here we go with nine or eight on the clock Juju on page Watkins denies the ball to Beckers, instead they go in for Edwards' offensive foul.

I don't like that decision at all. You have to be able to pivot. She didn't leave her body with her arms. Check this out here. Turn the pivot. Did she push herself? No. neither from that angle nor from ours either his second foul and we closed the half all square USC six without response to end the first half 33 a piece and let's move on to Angel with Paige Beckers paig coming into this game, you said one of the Las boxes you had to tick were playing Pace, how would you say you did that in the first half?

You did well, there is always room for improvement. I think I need to do a better job of reading how they protect me. the ball moves coming off screens um setting screens getting other people open um but yeah we'll talk about that at halftime with a couple starters picking up multiple fouls we saw the coach move to a bigger lineup what did you like? about that group uh just bouncing um we can force a little bit more into the paint get a Le some touches inside a Leah hit or an ice hit a good jumper outside the paint um so I just try to get the ball in more and then get it out of there, thanks Paige, thanks Beckers with 15 Juju Watkins with 13, the two leading scorers in this first half 20 minutes left for that last place among the final four, all equal 33 a piece, as we send it back to the studio, ladies, well, welcome back. to the NCAA Women's Championship presented by capital one three teams are in South Carolina going to Cleveland undefeated in search of a third National Championship NC State is back for the second time in school history trying to continue its Cinderella run and of course the Iowa Falcon advancing for the second year in a row, Kaylin Clark and Company will be in the hunt for that program's First National Championship, who will join him, will it be Paige Beckers at Yukon or will it be the freshman who extends his season at Southern Cal Juju Watkins so here's a Look at the bracket we know the first game coming to you on Friday night at 7 Eastern on ESPN is going to be South Carolina NC State and then the winner of this will face Iowa in the evening.

Hello everyone and welcome back Beth Mowen, Debbie Antonelli and Angel Gray and the stars are out ready to play tonight as we see Wendy's powering the race, very excited about what we've seen in the first staff so far, both All -Americans delivered, look at the space that Juju Watkins gets to operate in Yukon. on a bit of a drop defense here, Juju takes up space and scores and then check this out here, she gets one on one with Paige Beckers, pushes her back with a little clothesline, doe action and then hits it. the triple at the top of the court and then Paige does a great job working without the ball coming off the screen, organizes her feet in that deep corner and buries a triple Paige Beckers with 15 Juju Watkins with 13 that both have delivered in the First half.

Now, on tonight's game track presented by Invesco QQQ, neither side lights it up from the center, rebounds are the same, nine assists on 13 baskets scored. Connecticut has won 14 consecutive regional finals dating back to 2007, last year ended a streak of 14 consecutive trips to the final four when they bowed out in the Sweet 16 against Ohio State in Seattle and are now trying to make a comeback and for Southern Cal looking for its first trip to the final four in 38 years during the days of the Linda Sharp dynasty four of Yukon's starting five have two or three fouls Paige is the only one without a foul and now they are going to call a foul on gu guu Watkins that will be the second to Watkins I think for the southern cow everything here to start the third The fourth has to be aggressive from the rebound, enter the paint, whether it be a penetrating pass, play downhill, try to get going their transition game, really trying to attack Yukon off the rebound.

USC on a 117 run since KK Arnold committed his third foul right under him. 5 minutes into the first half she is there to start this second half again for the Huskies. They have survived five injured players who would be regular rotation players or starters and their bench is extremely short. 32 wins considering everything you just said. it's an incredible job of overcoming that adversity and finding a way here's Watkins number 12 on the Cardinal and the gold double team almost gives it to Padilla to Davis and Beckers has it right, they're running towards Juju in the end zone, what?

TRUE? That is, as soon as it gets close to what would be considered her range, they drop someone and try to bring two to the ball. Also worth mentioning here is Debbie for Aaliyah Edwards, she is playing without her mask for the first time since she broke her nose in the Big East. tournament Yukon returns to the front The mule Watkins has spent a lot of time defensively with her and now she is trying to recover the ball and a foul will be called and if it is on the mule, it will be her third Juju of her Watkins of her doing a good job . trying to get my mule off right here I don't know about that I don't know I don't know let's go well let's play mu will stay in Juju get her off Iverson's screen she loves to go back to her right she runs into Beckers' shot she won't go to USC, another opportunity, they run that double towards her again.

However, Leah Edwards can't be aggressive there and Padilla is one of her best three-point shooters when the ball jumps over the top to the weak side. she has to be ready to catch and shoot, she is available tonight as a mule on the other end, not that she doesn't take a lot, but she is a 40% three point shooter niik mu Five points, three assists for her, but so far It hasn't happened from outside the line. for SC you have to work Yukon on the defensive end you have to go from side to side you can't just do a pass and a shot oh I think that was Beckers' last touch this should be SC's ball here look how the mule is organized It's a good push, they don't come together to change the decision, so it's left with Yukon Edwards aggressive towards the rim.

R Marshall is not at fault, she has to be more aggressive on that play right there and not let Aaliyah Edwards bully her off the line. off the block Forbes was able to knock down the three that cut what had been Yukon's biggest lead and now Edwards has put the mask back on the number three in blue Becker from the rebound you have to get good possession right here you have to move the ball from side to side, good backdoor cut and a foul and that will be on Beckers and that will be his first play here in this third quarter and of course you already know it here in Portland Bittersweet, this last call for basketball Pack 12 like Southern.

Cal will head out to the Big 10 next year. They are the last team left after Oregon State was eliminated earlier in the weekend. It was an incredible year for the Pack 12. They ended up with five teams in the sweet 16. Lindsey got the wins for Le's team. the Pack 12 tournament title Tara go as always yes, win the regular season in Pack 12 what you have for us angel. I think it's really cool that they're talking about this being the last one for the Pack 12 USC, the last team that is. trying to see if they could make it to the final four, but upon receiving a text from Tara, she particularly said that she felt amazing and actually got emotional all of a sudden, she said that the message was about supporting each other for years, without However, when she said, let's do One last big race as we go our separate ways, we had something special, she said, that hit differently than her team trying to do this for something bigger in a sense, the last for the Pack 12 is pretty special, you see coach of the year finalist naith including Lindsey Gotle on that list, but Tara Vaner has carried the banner of Pack 12 basketball for decades.

Oh yeah, they are moving to the ACC along with Southern Cal, like you mentioned they would go to the big 10 and Cal will go to the ACC. coaching jobs all over the country this year, of course, Gino dealing with all the injuries here, I mean da Staley, the undefeated number one from coast to coast with a completely new starting five and better offensively than last year, for Of course, management of that media circus that has followed. Iowa all year long and the padan Caitlyn Clark Maniac can see the elbow well oh they missed K they missed uh Malia Edwards on that roll to the bucket she was wide open good box for Caitlyn Davis allowing Forbes to go to search It was controlled by Ashlin Shade, who didn't play much in the first half with foul trouble.

It is a terrible possession out of control. Juju Watkins did not receive a touch. You have to make Connecticut work on defense. Only 29% shooting tonight for Southern Cal Beckers. 17 for Paige, look at this one going up Beth Juju Watkins is kind of like why don't I get some touches here? Forbes selflessly Open pass for three 16 now for McKenzie two-man play Edwards of Beckers bodies up and a foul, well, she's really Having some trouble with the mask here is balancing the pressure on Yukon for their offense, so which means sometimes it's the ball screen, the quick rushers of the early offense looking to score, sometimes it's his five-out move, sometimes it's his chin chin and his Princeton action in many different ways.

They can hurt you, hurt you good, Yukon women are trying to make it to the final four to join their men. The NCAA men's basketball championship begins Saturday at 6 Eastern on TBS for more information, visit

ncaa

.com Purdue NC State Yukon Alabama, of course, both Wolfpack teams. are already in the final four, it's never happened before with the way two schools sent their men's and women's teams to the final four in the same season, how about the wolf pack and Kevin Keats? They have won nine in a row and they had to win. the ACC tournament to even get to full NCAA disclosure Debbie has been wearing her diploma all day since NC State, there's less than five minutes left here in this third quarter, the winner to face Iowa in the final four shadow able to knock it down and some distance for Yukon and a foul will be called shadow who did not score in the last game Beth, this is a confident three-point shooter who had 50% from three at the beginning of the tournament Beckers with a drive turns the corner and is get inside and then shade with a triple your first points ofthis Elite Eight, when Southern Cal was the center of the women's basketball universe with Cheryl Miller winning a national championship as a freshman at SC and then doing it again as a sophomore, back-to-back. win titles so if they want to fight for another one they'll have to get something cooking here, they've been quiet, they're down 10 with 425 left, maybe they need to take the advice of another roller coaster here, Debbie Juju, just like melow in Syracuse says Dame Lillard you want to win give him the ball man Melo leading the orange to the National Championship as a rookie well she's going to get the 3 she's going to get the ball right here she arrived out of timeout Beckers jumps the pass to Lane Paige Beckers picks it up and you can't by a dozen, that's a scouting report, more defensive steel right there, what a great job to jump that pass, career 70, let me say this about Cheryl Miller scored over 3,000 points, no threes. line and she was my all time best there were some new ones that came up here lately with a nice steal count it and Beckers got hit in the head on the other end ju guu Watkins and Cheryl Miller both have that slide ability there is a steal right here by guju crosses and handles the contact but keeps his focus on the rim that's the fourth foul on KK Arnold you want to have fun find here's Paige getting hit in the head she seems fine she'll stay there you want to have a fun conversation find some basketball fans from different generations who's your goat it's Cheryl or Annie from the 70's and 80's it's terasi Maya Stewie in Yukon how about Candace or Shmi wosa from Tennessee do you want to go down for that There are a lot of great players we've had in the game.

I always say that the product is not narrative. The game has always been good, it's just that more people are paying attention and I like the change here. You have to change the rhythm. the game if you are Lindsy Gotle and one way to do it is to change your defense, taking up the whole court could stimulate their offense, there is a turnover so what you are trying to do is not just get a steal there but speed up to Yukon. a little and speeds up the game so you can get more possessions. This is where they have to do something.

They are shooting only TW, 31% in the game so far. Watkins has three points here in the third quarter and everyone on the court. she has multiple fouls for Yukon, including Paige Beckers, who has two guards. Juju Watkins looks on, being pushed into the screen behind her back and blocked out of bounds by Brady 11 on the shot clock. Juju so far five of 13 in the game, she has hit a couple. triples and wants a foul that doesn't get there, oh, that's on Nik mule uh-oh, it's four on mule and Arnold, so you know, two starters in big trouble, that's not a small foul and coach Orma is being patient at the moment, but Nik mule.

He has to be on the court, you can't take a risk like that, he just plays well and contains the defense. Forbes to the line, they've only had five. Players foul all season, that hasn't been a problem, it could be tonight at 6pm for Forbes, who told us he transferred from Harvard for his graduate season away from California just to be able to play in big games like this great lineup on the court. for Yukon, that's a tough shot, here's an opportunity. Juju stops for three and this may be one of those fatigues, let's get everyone to catch their breath, a timeout of sorts for Gino to regroup with the fouls starting to pile up. 230 to go here in third 5245 Connecticut in front for that last spot in the final four Connecticut brings the title back to the stores in 2013 it's another perfect finish for Yukon Yukon has done it again for the 10th time the national championship is going to Connecticut for the fourth year in a row as Dasty fulfills his destiny the famous Ukon by Pete among their 11 national championships are trying to reach the final four for the 23rd time and Gino has the most tournament wins in history and Angel Gray has a few more for us.

I think it's very intriguing. how Paige Beckers described to us that they are a team that doesn't necessarily feel like the underdog coming into this game, she said that even having so many players out due to injuries, they feel like if you have four players available with that Yukon on your chest, you're still able to win, winning is what they're supposed to do if those people show up, that's what they're supposed to do. She also added two months ago that no one thought they would be in this position that is driving them. and she is leading them, yes, and now they have the advantage.

Debbie to get USC back into this. You know, Gotle talked about acting like the upstart and not the number one. Yeah, they need a little more upstart right now, they're struggling. on the defensive end, Beckers makes his way to the short lane every time Yukon has the big two, they like to go to the buzzer beater series and have had trouble scoring offensively and defensively, they've been able to play because with the bigs. lineup because USC hasn't included him they haven't punished him on the inside everything is at the top of the court right now for Southern Cal nothing is going inside the Yukon defense it's all been Watkins and Forbes to score, they were third best combo in college basketball during the regular season behind Clark and Stoky at Iowa and Kitle and Amore at Virginia Tech trying to run something for Juju without the ball this is for forbs for three who was tough with the back iron Beckers will take his time on last minute of this third quarter Edwards backs up into contact with Watkins but no whistle on the run, good three and transition from Big B, much better choice tonight by Big B in transition collision in the middle from the court, a career 80 right here for USC after they were down by 12, I mean. look at the confidence factor right here by Juju Watkins Big B in transition gets organized, that's a good pick Watkins will be out of here with just 38 seconds left in the quarter and so will Forbes, who sits with three fouls there, go to Forbes and Watkins carrying a heavy load. load up tonight and you can rest ju guu Watkins on what would be a defensive possession here for Lindsey Gotley you have to jump on the ball right now you have to communicate all the cuts and try to keep Yukon in front Beckers is coming to get it big, be an honor the mule playing with those four fouls finds Brady in the corner for three ice Brady for three has a 23% three point shooting his sixth of the season Padilla finds the handle and hits it to ring the bell his first basket of the night and it's a big one, a run by 113 USC to get back down four heading into the fourth with 10 minutes left, nothing better than a buzzer-beater to take us into the fourth quarter, his first basket of the night Practice it and we'll hear from Lindsay.

Gotle when we get back Capital One presents the NCAA women's championship what's in your wallet welcome back to Portland and let's send it to Angel with Lindsy Gotle coach you said offensively the key for you was to play connected now you have seven assists but what did you like of your court towards the end of that quarter that you lacked in the first half? Our defense improved. I mean, obviously we're going to be better at making stops in transition. They are doing a good job of flooding the paint. so we have to shoot pull-ups, spray it or throw it down, uh, we have to read what the defense is doing, but I think it all starts with our defense, the last four on the line, just some keys to close out, I want I mean, you have to put it all out there, obviously, but I think for us to make stop after stop so we can play transition is key.

I think we have to get some offensive rebounds when we miss and decide if we have good vision in transition or not. prepare something thank you coach thank you here are the stories of tonight's stars brought to you by Honda in a four point game in the fourth quarter the numbers of Beckers and Watkins and remember in a similar situation in the sweet 16 J guu Watkins took over in the fourth quarter the other night he made nine of 10 free throws to close out the game for Southern Cal when they go ISO and give him the ball in space.

She is very good off the rebound with Yukon's increasing foul trouble, but the ball can't. In order not to get difficult for the southern cow, they have to move it and if they can move it then they will have a better chance to get to the offensive glass and that will help keep Yukon out of transition and of course Paige Becker was left out for the injury. last year and throughout her rehab she worked hard to get back to this stage and she gets the steel protecting Watkins and goes in the opposite direction. Juju, good hurry to bother again.

I mean, Becker's anticipation on the defensive end is outstanding, that's two times under. dead ball situations outside of timeouts in which he jumped the passing lane no KK Arnold to start this fourth quarter with four fouls for with icut mule is playing with four fouls for Yukon Edwards reaches the baseline to score and won Raya Marshall late with help USC gives up the baseline, it's a great take by Edwards, Davis beats it and that's an aggressive play by Marshall, but you have to get there first, that's his second Aaliyah Edwards, who tonight beat the 1000 rebound threshold, so 1000 points and 1000 rebounds in his career. she already declared for the WNBA, where she will be a high draft pick, Yukon playing in Zone fa Le and to protect herself from foul trouble, the lob to Watkins gets behind the Zone, counts 18 for ju guu and another trip to the line, this will start a parade. of free throws for her, this is just a good set.

Play. Good protection in the back area. USC looked like they were ready for the Zone. It is very well executed with Lindsay Gotle with her offense against her bench leaving the zone. The 30-point performance against Baylor is the second-best by a USC Trojan in NCAA tournament history behind Paula McGee Edwards' rebound finishes it off for Brady fouled on a good inside pass I mean, really late in the weak side rotating a couple of times and Yukon has made them pay, you have to rev the engine on the weak side, like you have to be ready to make a play.

Ice Brady with Five Points, the redshirt freshman from San Diego who missed last year with a knee injury, she was one of the best. five recruits when she arrived and with all the injuries this season, big minutes tonight and a big moment for her huskies. They have won 14 consecutive regional finals dating back to 2007. The third transition is a very quick trigger. Now I know McKenzie Forbes got one of those right. The other night we asked her about it and she said she makes those shots a lot in games, but I thought it was too fast, I think they want to try to get a tip on Juju every time they go down the court, now they move the ball and move . the defense takes the ball away from juju pretending she's going to take it herself gets to the left side to put it in I mean it's a Glide I mean it's absolutely beautiful in transition how she moves 21 now for Juju under eight to play for the final four rebound to the left side stripped for the second time is not good and here comes SCC Watkins from the cross Forbes to tie a much better transition three-pointer a better pick by the Trojans an 81 run by Southern Cal Juju to the hoop and Forbes with one place up we are all tied at 59 here in fourth with a trip to the final four at stake and a place in the final four at the end Beth Debie, what more could you ask for?

It's not much, I guess. right, oh, I hope we're exposing a lot Scott in these last seven or so minutes, yeah, Scott, this is something here, it's quite an experience, the fans are back. Brady pulls away, little chance for SC to take the lead. Here comes the Juju orama trainer. He's handled the foul trouble very well in this game now they're going to go back to their mantle and that's a block on Juju seven of 18 tonight from the floor Beckers looks at Gin he's going to shorten the game this is where he orchestrates who he wants where he wants with his offense up front this will really be something to see we asked him about it yesterday how much film do you want to get your players in the right place he is in a lot of mula he leaves it to Brady he gives him Concepts and then , every time you sit down for one of his shooting rounds he gives them different reads they can use, it doesn't work, you can barely hear his voice and he lets them read and react.

Padilla, the Yukon ball is very short with a two-point lead, so Paige Beckers that time faces guard juj gu Watkins on the weak side of the court and there are times when I will say that ju guu walks away away from the action tries to, you know, I think sometimes she rests but she also gives her teammates a chance to operate with more space she's 21 Becker's 19 winner gets Iowa in the last four good Edwards fake window Marshall doesn't even question that in penetration she has two fouls that's where she needs to be aggressive 19 points for her Watkins wants to get it back, she makes it work again on Becker's short mid-range Marshall and a foul on Ice Brady, that'sthe aggressive play I'm looking for from Ray Marshall, look aah Edwards here, a good fake and then Marshall backs off. two fouls you have a challenge right there either you take the charge or you really try to step up and block that shot you had time to step up Edwards trying to extend his Yukon career one more weekend as Huskies with the advantage in the paint despite that they play a lot with four guards, well, they have played a lot with two bigs because Ice Brady has played well and it gives Coach Orm another option.

KK Arnold is going to come back with those four F fouls on the next dead ball. out and The Possession will go to Yukon. You'd better adjust all the details right now. There can be no error in the game. Your execution has to be very precise. USC will continue to extend its pressure. They're going to fall back on their man, Brady. Beckers left the mule alone there to grab the rebound and a foul will be called on Watkins for third place, it's a loose ball, it's difficult right there, not even the mule fighting against the glass.

Debbie, they were visibly fatigued at the end of the sweet 16. game in the fourth quarter we talked to NAA the other day yesterday how do you know how to combat that and she SP said pure adrenaline everything we have to play another day Becker is in the starter I can't tell you the number of times Lindsy Gotle went over that same set on shot today and defended Paige Becker in that situation and is still able to work off the ball to get into space, which is her seventh consecutive 20-point game now for the third foul of Beckers here about Edwards, look at Beckers, here he is. she's going to come off the screen and get into space right here and knock down this shot, watch her rub her Defender off that screen by Ice Brady and she gets that 10 foot short jumper where they ran that play against Duke the other night and scored a couple of times Watkins now six of six from the 23 line for Juju less than five to put pressure on the mark, both Arnold and mule number two and number 10 in blue are playing with four fouls off the ball Watkins advances and with the right foot, left foot, left foot, wrong foot, doesn't matter, Juju can score either way, well, from USC, more pressure to try to speed up Ukan, try to wear him down on both ends.

Brady Telegraph that a Juju is coming downhill. you and you know you have to try to stop the ball right here and this is difficult she just steps around and is so good with her body control four fouls on the mule she had no chance there Beckers gets spins The hard shot from the baseline gets her to go now I thought it was a foul she was up under her Watkins for three innings and down four here in the fourth remember the other thing Coach Orma said no We can play from the back because of our defense, we don't have the ability to extend. our D, but they can shorten the game here by running the clock.

Beckers by three got it, what shooting plays here on the fourth page Beckers with 26 Watkins tries to take the possession lead without two for the Huskies and Gino wants them to retire and They will run a set here and watch Coach Oriyama put the players where he wants. You have to jump towards the ball. You have to keep Yukon at the forefront. You have to bounce here. USC has a foul to give Beckers steps away from the defender. No. good under three to play a good timeout by Lindsey got Le his team needs to execute something here they need to get the ball where they want it every possession counts now but Becker is putting on a show so far the fourth for Connecticut Paige with contact that is a bucket one big there and then consecutively they contested three-pointers from the top of the court trying to achieve a victory here in the fourth quarter and for Gino in that group 22 trips to the final four, 11 of that half of them resulted in National Championships.

We've been down this road before in the other meeting right now for Southern Cal. It's been 38 long years since they played in such a close Final Four, led by their freshman trying to Return to the Glory Days of Cheryl Miller and Cynthia Cooper and the McGee Twins and try to keep the final season of Pack 12 alive in the final four. South Carolina will be there as well as NC State, they have a date Friday night, 7 Eastern, ESPN and the hawy eyes of Iowa and Caitlyn Clark await the winner of this one, let's see if Yukon with their great lineup comes out and the man on this possession Juju Watkins is going to start on the strong side.

Paige Beckers has done a good job with her. in the fourth the Watkins court has it either they get the shot they want or they falter on the weak side rebound for Becker she has a double double she, Mule and Edwards have played every second tonight count it out that's how you get depressed you attack him Yukon does a great job throwing over the top and mula finds Edwards in the backcourt Davis slows Edwards down with a bucket eight assists now for niik mula you have to be ready to rebound here if you are USC 75% free throw shooter complete the three point play 22 now for Edwards and it's a nine point lead just speed up with your stuff right here they're cleaning it up for Juju Juju if he would have gotten loose Forbes Yukon is really doing a good job clogging up the paint use the The screen finds that a space mule goes out with her.

The Huskies have now scored eight unanswered to open this thing. You have to stay aggressive here at USC. Remember that you have a foul to commit, so you may want to set up a trap or try to set it up. get a steal in the last two minutes now you don't want to foul now you want to stay solid on your D Becker comes off the rebound stops in the lane for two and on a late clock Beth you let anyone but Paige Beckers catch it 28 for Beckers, she is on his average NCAA tournament mule with a NAA steal the other way and a hosis foul is taking over the late mule with those four fouls does a great job of anticipating here's Beckers on a late clock through the Too talented contact, I tell you what Beth for having a team with limited depth, Coach Orma has handled foul trouble, he's handled the depth and they've stayed aggressive on the defensive end.

Beers has had a couple of steals on defense beating Cal here in the fourth quarter and out and Edwards. comes out with it and Yukon gets it back to burn a little more time, yeah you got it, you don't want to foul Beckers, you gotta stay aggressive here, you got one to give Beckers inside drives blocked by Watkins Juju with the SWAT, oh . a foul reach on Edwards when Ju Guu lost her shoe and could have gotten shot in the face fourth on Edwards there is a block behind Juju Watkins and you see her take off her shoe Gino tells his players to rebound and they get a timeout If you miss here, Forbes will go for three and give you a timeout to advance the three-ball possession game with less than a minute left.

This is a good job by Forbes to reposition herself and use the rebound to separate herself from Paige Beckers, McKenzie Forbes, knocking down the three, that's her fifth of the game, she and gu guu have done their part combining for 49 points because you have a foul that commit, you actually have no more faults to commit. Sorry, there are five Southern Cal team fouls you want to commit. Aggressive here, let the referees know that you are trying to steal first and then you will foul. Let's take a look at tonight's rewarding Capital One performance, yes what a job by Paige Beckers Beckers at the line with a couple of dead balls. situations he was able to anticipate, I call that a little Scouting Report defense and then his ability to get off the baseline, out of bounds plays, knocking down big shots that want the ball in tough moments of the game. , tough and pressing as things are right now, basketball fans will. go from watching Caitlyn Clark play Angel Reese to watching Caitlyn Clark play Paige Beckers for first place in the national championship game and don't forget the other side of the bracket, the number one overall seed, South Carolina taking on NC State, on the right, NC State, a surprise.

South Carolina advanced undefeated to the final four last year and lost in the semifinals, so it returned unblemished to play Friday night against NC State. They had a couple of scares in a tournament, it hasn't been easy, they've handled it, but they've handled it all and NC State will present incredible quickness and scoring in the backcourt. The experience really shows for Connecticut here late in the game with Mule and Beckers and Edwards all with the last four trips on their resumes, well I'll say it again about Coach Orma handling foul trouble and depth issues and staying aggressive in defense.

Beckers fouls Watkins to stop the clock. It's not a mistake you want to commit, that's it. third Watkins is seven to seven on the line, so you anticipate a couple does here and then they can throw Press On Again Gino has one more timeout called a timeout to advance the ball, ESPN's National Freshman of the Year and probably more of that praise will follow. Coach Orma may choose to use the length of the court knowing the press is coming instead of advancing the ball with a timeout, that's what he will do, he will save that timeout for if they get in trouble and a foul is committed .

KK Arnold is a 67% free throw shooter, that's not who Yukon wants to have the ball in their hands in a late situation, aren't they supposed to give the ball back to Paige in that situation? Didn't we ask the coach or about that yesterday? Well, remember he struggled to do that at the end of the Duke game, so Arnold got to the line 68%, his first trip coach or looked at Paige saying, hey, no more fouls, well, to the southern cow He has two timeouts left, they can advance the ball here, he missed both of them, that's five. in a row they have failed Watkins dribbles to keep the foot in the field Yukon really extends the pressure Forbes will try for three leans in and out mule rebounds and a foul how tough Yukon has a lead in the second half survives a punch Southern Cal makes a 40 minute run tonight for Mule 40 for Beckers 40 for Edwards and that's the sixth consecutive missed free throw USC couldn't hurt him on the other end wow seven in a row coach SC Le is going to use a timeout here to advance the ball, they will have one left.

Oh, Gino told us yesterday that he hoped SC might need a timeout at the end of the game so they don't have to burn one and they'll get their players a chance to catch their breath. This is what's on the line for you guys a 23rd trip to the four finalists for the USC Huskies trying to return there for the first time in 38 years Yukon's 13 of 23 from the free throw line return to that mule trio meeting of Becker and Edwards with Gino after they lost their fifth player due to injury in early January, how will you choose to respond to the adversity and heartbreak of losing teammate after teammate 22-2 from that point and those above?

The class leaders have made a big difference here in the second half. Well, you have to make a quick three here to see if you can extend the game by drawing a foul or if you throw a direct pass to Marshall and let her score, but I think you want to get it. Juju on a screen here's a switch Watkins leaves it for Marshall missed the layup Second chance up and in and there's the final timeout for Yukon same strategy right here Beth right I mean, Yukon is going to put the basketball in like they've been What he's doing is having Page Becker in and then they're trying to give him back.

She is the best free throw of him. It's part of the reason they missed all those free throws. She hasn't been on the line because the southern cow is leaving. 70 runs to cut it to five Arnold Edwards and the mule, uh, they're not the ones who want to foul Yukon, they're all still playing four personnel and of course Beckers isn't who USC wants to foul, well, Yukon doesn't wants. a foul, I mean, they want to get the ball in bounds and give it back to Paige and let it go to the free throw line. They know that the southern cow is going to make a mistake. 17.5 to go for the last place among the four finalists. change everything you change Steel Mule comes to receive and commits a foul well, it's a good job on my part not to let Paige Beckers recover it this will be interesting right here right pressure free throws to go to the final four they have missed seven followed by three this one by three possessions Game Time Out SC to advance is the last the winningest program in NCAA tournament history with 11 national championships fighting against so much adversity this year surviving its worst start to a season in 37 years surviving losing five players to injuries and now trying to survive up front is a remarkable run it's incredible training work by the coach and his staff they are a connected group and they work hard at it you know you have to bring 40 minutes of discipline and execution against any team that Gino puts on the field what work Gino and his staff have done to get them to this place there are the three of them toWatkins took her off the line she will take the two passes intercepted by Padia looking for three rebounds Connecticut oh, a referee fouled.

I thought that now the other one has the ball retained and is going to Yukon Yukon with the arrow 3.9 to go and a foul with 3.2 to play well. USC is going to look at this and know that their chances put some pressure on Yukon with the lead, but I thought Coach Orma's team managed the clock so well late in the game that it was the fifth foul on Caitlyn Davis and look at the lead of Paige Beckers, stop turning the ball over, give me the The Huskies can feel it now and Leah Edwards will try to put the finishing touches on it.

Things weren't looking good in early December. Three losses to start the season for the Huskies, who are proving that it's not about how you start, it's about how you finish. And Yukon. eliminates a number one seed to return to the final four a fantastic freshman season comes to an end for ju guu Watkins here at Elite 8 29 points 24 from Mackenzie Forbes but it's Yukon Beckers' night with 28 10 rebounds and six assists Edwards with 24 and no mule eight points five rebounds eight assists they did not leave the court not once did everyone play the full 40 and what could have been the most difficult path of his career Gino celebrates another trip back and a chance to reach 12 ° national championship and on a historic night in the world of women's basketball, there will be more next weekend in Cleveland with the NC State of South Carolina and the Yukon Iowa National semifinals on Friday night.

It's going to be great, we have the number one overall team in South Carolina. I've got Caitlyn Clark at Iowa against Paige Beckers and Yukon and then there's this team called NC State that's just going to slide into the final four, no one's going to talk about them and they had a great opportunity too. Paige Beckers is with Angel Paige. I had to watch from the sidelines last year to be a part of this progression right now to another final four in your career. Can you tell me what's going through your mind right now with this team there?

So much gratitude. I am a living testimony. Give all the glory to God, he works in mysterious ways. Last year he was praying to return to this stage. And he sent me trials and tribulations. But it was to build my character. It was to test my faith. Look, if I only believed in come on, come on, but I kept believing that I did everything I could so that God could do everything he could and so much joy and pride in this team. I'm so proud that we're not even. We are supposed to be here and here we are a divine miracle and I am so proud I can't even express the words.

That's what the coach told us before, he said it's going to take a miracle for us to win, especially with a depleted squad. but what is the message for everyone, that is not an excuse with this group, you can overcome anything with God on your side, with work on your side, with belief and faith and just with perseverance, resilience, everything It's about how. Adversity in life is overcome and tested in battle and we simply stick together as one and don't let anything break us. I recently watched Coach AR walk away with tears in his eyes to understand what he has put into this group and how you can have that moment. with him, how is that?

I mean, he's our leader, he's instilled confidence in every one of us, we got 60 to 70 points in the bank at Street Closes and he just kept the belief, he kept us motivated, he kept us hungry and he just kept going. we are positive and just sharing this moment with him means the world congratulations see you in the final four thank you yes 80 to 73 is your last Yukon eliminates USC so the final four is set for Friday night at 7 Eastern on ESPN undefeated. South Carolina against NC State, an unranked team in the preseason among the last ones standing and then Caitlyn Clark in Iowa facing Paige Beckers in Yukon in the nightcap for our entire team.

I'm Beth Mowans Debbie Antonelli Angel Gray thank you very much for being with us on the road to the final four in Cleveland, next up will be the sports center with SVP, but thank you very much, Yukon has been the story of this tournament once again and once more will be part of final four history for a staggering 23rd time, everyone under Gino AR is heading to the final four. Hopefully, we'll talk to Gino right