USC put up a fight.
But ultimately, Paige Bueckers and Sarah Strong — and the absence of JuJu Watkins — proved too much to overcome.
The Trojans opened an early lead over UConn and then rallied from a 19-point halftime deficit to cut the UConn lead to five points to close the third quarter. But the Huskies withstood the run and opened the game back up en route to a 78-64 win to secure their spot in the Final Four.
Bueckers and Strong took co-starring roles to lead UConn within two wins of its first national title since 2016.