UConn Huskies women's basketball team into Elite Eight after vintage run flattens No. 3 Indiana Hoosiers

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — UConn is heading to its 16th consecutive Elite Eight after a vintage Huskies' run powered Saturday's 75-58 victory over No. 3 Indiana in the regional semifinals of the NCAA women's basketball tournament.

It started with a Paige Bueckers 3 off an inbounds play on UConn's first possession of the second half.

Indiana wouldn't even get the ball back before the Huskies managed to earn three more shot attempts on their end following back-to-back Hoosiers off-ball fouls, which Olivia Nelson-Ododa capitalized on with an offensive board and putback.

Next time down, Christyn Williams added to the fun with a give-and-go that ended in an easy layup.

It may be a season unlike any UConn has experienced in some time, but for four minutes at the start of the second half, it was like old times for the Huskies.

Within a blink of an eye, their four-point halftime lead mushroomed to 20 behind the 2-seeded Huskies' lockdown defense, complete control of the boards and a humming offense that produced 12 points off layups alone.

Third-seeded Indiana launched a brief rally, pulling within 11 midway through the fourth quarter, but the damage had already been done.

«We probably needed to stay out there,» Indiana head coach Teri Moren said. «We went back into the locker room and made some adjustments, but we came back out in the third quarter and it was just really a bugaboo for us.»

The Hoosiers ended their season at 24-9.

With a win over NC State on Monday in the regional final, the Huskies would advance to a 14th straight Final Four — far from a certainty earlier this season, as the Huskies struggled at times without Bueckers for 19 games and star freshman Azzi Fudd for 11 with knee and foot injuries, respectively. The