UConn routs UCLA, advances to national championship: Live updates and reaction from women’s Final Four

UConn star guard Paige Bueckers credited the entire UConn team for a strong defensive effort against UCLA, especially against Lauren Betts.

“(Betts) draws so much attention, they did a tremendous job on her,” Bueckers said in a postgame interview on ESPN. “They did a wonderful job in the paint. It was a full team effort.”

Bueckers praised Sarah Strong, who led the Huskies with 22 points.

“It’s rewarding, it’s so much fun to play with her and see the joy in her,” Bueckers said. “For her to perform at this stage, it means everything to us.”

UConn will now prepare for Sunday’s showdown with South Carolina, a team they beat 87-58 back in February. However Bueckers isn’t using the Huskies’ past success as confidence for this matchup.

“You can’t really use that game as an example of what will happen this time around,” Bueckers said. “The record is 0-0 and both teams are trying to go 1-0 and win the national championship. (South Carolina) are a good team, they get in transition, and they have good guard play. It’s going to be a tough game.”