Paige Bueckers carries UConn to record 24th women's Final Four with 78-64 win over USC

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Paige Bueckers and her UConn teammates didn’t cut down the net after securing a trip to the Final Four, even though a ladder was set up and ready to go.

The reason was simple: The Huskies aren’t done yet.

Bueckers carried UConn to its record 24th national semifinal in the women's NCAA Tournament, scoring 31 points Monday night in a 78-64 victory over Southern California, which couldn’t overcome the loss of injured star JuJu Watkins.

UConn (35-3) heads to Tampa, Florida, to face overall No. 1 seed UCLA on Friday.

Freshman Sarah Strong added 22 points and 17 rebounds for the second-seeded Huskies, who have won a record 11 NCAA titles, all under coach Geno Auriemma. Their most recent championship was in 2016, the last of a run of four straight.

“We've got a whole lot of heart, and a whole lot of toughness about us. And we play together as a team. We’re super well-connected,” Bueckers said. “I feel like every team that I’ve played on, we’ve been super well-connected. But just the way we’ve been through so much adversity as individuals, as a team, how much it’s brought us together, how much it's made us stronger.”

Rayah Marshall scored 23 points and 15 rebounds for top-seeded USC (31-4), which also lost to UConn in the Elite Eight last year when Watkins was a freshman.

Fans undoubtedly anticipated a rematch between Bueckers and Watkins when the brackets were announced, but the matchup lost some luster when Trojans’ star guard tore an ACL in the second round and needed surgery.

While the Trojans got past Kansas State in the Sweet 16 without Watkins, they had a tougher challenge against UConn and Bueckers, the likely No. 1 overall pick in next month's WNBA draft.

UConn led by 19 points in the third quarter, but USC got within 51-46 going into the fourth. Bueckers and Azzi Fudd made consecutive 3-pointers that extended the Huskies’ lead to 62-48.

Avery Howell’s 3-pointer closed the gap to 70-61 with 1:04 left, but the Trojans got no closer.

After scoring just two points in the opening quarter, Bueckers had 11 points in the final period.

“None of it would happen without the team, and everything that goes into a performance,” she said. “So just trying to lead with what the game is calling for, lead with what we need at that moment, at that time, whether it’s passing, rebounding, scoring, just trying to do whatever it takes to win.”

Bueckers, a senior, earned AP All-America honors and was the Big East player of the year for the third time. The only thing left for her to achieve is a national title after she and the Huskies were beaten in the Final Four last year by Caitlin Clark and Iowa.

She has averaged 35 points in her last three March Madness games, including career highs of 40 points and six 3-pointers in the Huskies’ 82-59 rout of Oklahoma in the Sweet 16.

USC was seeking its first Final Four appearance since 1986 and first title since going back-to-back in 1983 and '84.

The Trojans led early before Strong made back-to-back jumpers for the Huskies to pull in front 12-11. Bueckers didn’t get her first basket until nine minutes into the game.

With Bueckers off to a slow start, Strong took over, nailing a 3-pointer that gave the Huskies a 21-13 lead. Bueckers hit a 3 to give the Huskies a 39-25 lead at the half.

Another 3 by Bueckers gave UConn a 47-30 lead before USC responded with an 11-0 run.

“I think there was never a point where this team gave up, so making that run was huge," the Trojans' Talia von Oelhoffen said. “Coming out of halftime, we just needed to have a good third quarter, but just felt like we couldn’t get stops when we needed to at critical moments during runs. So, credit to UConn and the adjustments they made and getting big shots.”

Just like in the Sweet 16, USC’s players had a small Watkins Funko Pop with them. The doll was tucked in a shoe in Watkins' place during the national anthem, then on the Trojan bench during the game.

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UConn guard Paige Bueckers, left, places confetti onto head coach Geno Auriemma, front right, after the team's win over Southern California in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Monday, March 31, 2025, in Spokane, Wash. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)

UConn head coach Geno Auriemma directs his team during the first half against Southern California in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Monday, March 31, 2025, in Spokane, Wash. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops says it is ending a half-century of partnerships with the federal government to serve refugees and children, saying the “heartbreaking” decision follows the Trump administration’s abrupt halt to funding for refugee resettlement.

The break will inevitably result in fewer services than what Catholic agencies were able to offer in the past to the needy, the bishops said.

“As a national effort, we simply cannot sustain the work on our own at current levels or in current form,” said Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the USCCB. “We will work to identify alternative means of support for the people the federal government has already admitted to these programs. We ask your prayers for the many staff and refugees impacted.”

The decision means the bishops won’t be renewing existing agreements with the federal government, the bishops said. The announcement did not say how long current agreements were scheduled to last.

Catholic bishops sued President Donald Trump's administration in February over its abrupt halt to the funding of aid provided to newly arrived refugees, saying they are owed millions already allocated by Congress to carry out resettlement aid under agreement with the federal government.

But a federal judge ruled that he couldn’t order the government to pay money due on a contract, saying a contractual dispute belongs before the Court of Federal Claims. The bishops have appealed that ruling.

Beyond that specific funding dispute is the Trump administration’s halt to all new refugee arrivals. The Catholic bishops oversaw one of 10 national agencies, most of them faith-based, which contracted with the federal government to resettle refugees who come to the U.S. legally after being vetted and approved by the federal government.

Broglio’s announcement didn’t specify what the children’s services program was.

The bishops have overseen Catholic agencies resettling displaced people for a century. In recent decades they had done so in a partnership with the U.S. government, receiving grants that covered much, though not all, of the expenses.

The Trump administration’s “decision to reduce these programs drastically forces us to reconsider the best way to serve the needs of our brothers and sisters seeking safe harbor from violence and persecution,” said Broglio, who heads the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.

The announcement did not specify whether the cuts would lead to any layoffs, though Broglio asked for prayers for the “many staff and refugees impacted.”

Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert, accused the bishops conference in January of resettling immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally in order to get millions in federal funding — an apparent reference to the resettlement program, which actually involves legally approved refugees.

The bishops noted that rather than making money on the program, they receive less in federal aid than the programs cost and need to supplement the funding with charitable dollars.

Vance followed up his criticisms by appealing to Catholic teaching as justifying immigration restrictions. That drew rejoinders not only from U.S. bishops but an implicit rebuke from Pope Francis, who said Christian charity requires helping those in need, not just those in one’s closest circles.

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Catholic bishops lead a march in solidarity with migrants, Monday, March 24, 2025, in downtown El Paso, Texas. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)