March Madness 2022: UConn reaches 14th straight Final Four, tops NC State in 2OT

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In a double-overtime thriller that put UConn's record streak of women's Final Four appearances at serious risk, Paige Bueckers came through for the Huskies — and earned a trip home to Minneapolis.

The sensational sophomore scored 15 of her 27 points after regulation, and UConn beat North Carolina State 91-87 on Monday night to reach its 14th straight Final Four.

"Two days ago I said, ‘Win or go home’, but we won and I’m still going home," said Bueckers, who missed two months with a knee injury this season. "This is crazy. I’m just so excited no matter the location, no matter where it is."

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Connecticut guard Paige Bueckers (5) reacts in double overtime against NC State during the East Regional final college basketball game of the NCAA women's tournament, Monday, March 28, 2022, in Bridgeport, Conn. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Bueckers, who grew up 10 miles outside the site of the Final Four, scored the first five points in the second overtime to lift the Huskies (29-5), who will face defending champion Stanford in the national semifinals on Friday night.

Bueckers returned last month from the left knee injury that sidelined her for 19 games, and in eight appearances before this one, she wasn't quite the same. But against N.C. State, she looked like the player who was named AP Player of the Year in 2021. She was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Bridgeport Region.

"Thank God Paige came back, because she just gives everybody so much confidence and then everybody just kind of played and everybody took turns making plays," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "It was just an amazing basketball