BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — When the first overtime in the Bridgeport Regional Finals of the 2022 NCAA Women’s Tournament ended Monday night, the game was already an instant classic.
Regardless, 1-seeded NC State Wolfpack and 2-seeded UConn would play 10 minutes before the Huskies sealed their place in the Final Four with a 91-87 win in double overtime.
The two teams had been battling all night, UConn looking to reach the national semifinals for a 14th straight season, NC State chasing its first Final Four since 1998.
It all added up to one spectacular game: two overtimes. Thirteen leadership changes. Nine ties. The crowd at Total Mortgage Arena roared all night as teams traded baskets.
The details made it the game of the NCAA women’s tournament so far. Even as the first two rounds were dominated by upsets and two 10-seeds made the Sweet 16, this was the game that captured the epitome of March Madness: two heavyweights battling for a chance to make it to Minneapolis and one fight national championship.
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This was a game where UConn was a four-point favorite over the region’s leaders, largely because that game was held in Bridgeport, Connecticut, a stone’s throw from the UConn campus in Storrs. Vivid Seats Fan Forecast estimated that 84% of the crowd was cheering for UConn, and every time the crowd cheered after a key basket or forced turnover, the noise felt like it exploded in your chest.
But this was also a game where, no matter which side you were on, you could have your heart pounding in your ears and a lump right in your throat. Because there were missions. UConn hadn’t missed a Final Four since 2009, and NC State hadn’t missed it in 24 years. The Wolfpack had been eliminated in three consecutive Sweet 16s. Even as upbeat music pumped through the speakers, the crowd barely clapped along. Because who could clap to the beat at a time like this?
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Jakia Brown-Turner drills 3-pointers with 0.8 seconds remaining to keep NC State alive.
This was a game if you thought it was over, you were wrong. UConn took an early 10-point lead, but then it looked like NC State would repeat their Sweet 16 win over Notre Dame by rallying to take a late lead. Then UConn looked like it had the game in the bag… until NC State’s Jakia Brown-Turner hit a corner 3 with less than a second left to send it into a second overtime.
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This was a game where big players came in big moments. UConn student Paige Bueckers — the reigning International of the Year, who missed 19 games with a knee injury and didn’t return until Feb. 25 — hit the opening basket of the second overtime, a pull-up 3-pointer from the top of the key, and followed him with a crooked pull-up jumper just inside the arc of next possession. And with NC State beginning the season five behind, Kai Crutchfield aka “Clutchfield” hit her second 3-pointer of overtime to pull NC State to two points 3:03 in the game.
This was a game where newcomers seized the moment. UConn newcomer Azzi Fudd shot in 19 points but shone when the spotlight was at its brightest. As the clock ticked down in the fourth quarter, Fudd was there to throw in a bucket when UConn needed it. And with the Huskies up one with less than a minute left, Fudd drove to the right, sucked in the NC State defense and, as she fell on her heels, threw the ball to sophomore Aaliyah Edwards, who put around the lead by to expand UConn.
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Christyn Williams scores in the dying seconds of double overtime as UConn survives against NC State to reach its 14th straight Final Four.
This was a game where everyone put their bodies on the line. The two teams battled in the paint all night, with UConn 40 points and NC State 44 points. The sounds of leotards and skin and sweat sliding across the hardwood were the beats beneath the cacophony of cheers and whistles. When senior guard Evina Westbrook got stuck on the lane with an awkward matchup, she stretched out her fingertips to tip the ball to a teammate. And everyone who was on the block or trying to move through the lane was a human pinball. Attention tailors.
It was a game everyone deserved to win. As time ticked down and Bueckers – a Minnesotan who finished with a game-high 27 points – yelled triumphantly at the crowd, the wolf pack huddled on the sidelines before leaving the court, four of them believed to be the last time in college when her small group of fans proudly held the Wolfpack sign in the air. With their celebratory hats and shirts, the huskies were crowned regional champions. Buckers, the region’s most outstanding player, demonstrated the dance known as the griddy as her teammates bathed her in a shower of confetti.
But as the players and their families hugged and the rest of the crowd clamored for photos and autographs, one thing was clear.
This was an unforgettable game.