Watch: Paige Bueckers catches fire late in UConn's Elite Eight win

Bueckers scored seven of the Huskies’ points late in the fourth quarter, nailing three straight jumpers. The second one, made with the Huskies up 65-64, had an extremely high degree of difficulty.

Watkins had been matching Bueckers point-for-point, but with four minutes left, Watkins missed a triple and Bueckers drilled her own.

After that, UConn rolled. Bueckers’ string of jumpers led to an Aaliyah Edwards three-point play, and then another Bueckers jumper. Then Nika Muhl got a steal and hit a free throw to leave the Huskies with a 76-64 lead and a ticket to the Final Four.

UConn won by a final score of 80-73, which gives head coach Geno Auriemma his 15th trip to the Final Four in the last 16 seasons. The Huskies will face Caitlin Clark and Iowa on Friday night in Cleveland.

It’s an appropriate matchup of two of the most outstanding players in this year’s tournament. They’re also two of the last three Naismith Award winners, with Bueckers missing last season due to a torn ACL.

If anyone has a chance at matching the shotmaking of Clark, who had 41 points in Iowa’s win over LSU, it might be Bueckers, who finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds and three steals against USC. 

One of those steals led to a fast-break bucket.

UConn lost five players to season-ending injuries this season. But if Bueckers gets hot, they can hang with — and beat — anyone.