Bridgeport — UConn, which finished the first half Saturday with a costly mistake, serving to effectively put its matchup with Indiana on even ground again, couldn't wait for the second half to begin.

"We didn't really like the way the first half ended, so just turning that around," said UConn sophomore Paige Bueckers of the play, on which UConn absentmindedly threw a live ball out of bounds with 1.3 seconds still remaining in the second quarter.

"We started pushing the ball in transition more, got a few easy buckets there. I thought we played with a lot better pace and just better energy coming out in the second half."

Second-seeded UConn, its lead down to four at the half, used that fire as motivation to start the third quarter with a decisive 16-0 run. The Huskies pushed the lead to 20 points with 6 minutes, 15 seconds remaining in the third on the way to a 75-58 victory over No. 3 Indiana in the NCAA tournament Sweet 16 before a pro-UConn crowd of 8,502 at Total Mortgage Arena.

UConn (28-5) advanced to the Bridgeport Regional Final to meet top-seeded N.C. State at 7 p.m. Monday for the right to go to the Final Four in Minneapolis, what would be UConn's 14th straight Final Four bid. N.C. State (32-3) came from behind Saturday to defeat No. 5 Notre Dame 66-63 in the other regional semifinal.

With UConn's Aaliyah Edwards mistakenly tossing the ball out of bounds at the 1.3 mark, Indiana got possession under its own basket, just enough time for Aleksa Gulbe to launch an off-balance 3-pointer and connect, pulling the Hoosiers to within 37-33 at the half.

What happened next made Indiana coach Teri Moren confess later that she wished the game had continued without halftime.

The Huskies got a 3-pointer from Bueckers behind a screen from Olivia Nelson-Ododa to start the third, followed by an offensive rebound and basket from Nelson-Ododa, a slash to the basket by Christyn Williams and a drive from Bueckers on a handoff from Williams, all executed precisely and without hesitation for the first nine points of the sequence.

With UConn now leading 46-33, Moren called a timeout. Bueckers responded with a steal and a layup, Williams scored on two straight drives and Edwards added a free throw, with the lead growing to 53-33.

"They made a 16-0 run and you just can't allow that to happen against a team like UConn," Moren said. "It's very difficult to overcome a start like that. We just did some uncharacteristic things of our team.

"I loved the start. I really did. I loved the start we got off to. I didn't like the third quarter. If I could have that one back, that's what I'd want back."

Williams and Bueckers finished with 15 points each for UConn, Azzi Fudd had 13 and Nelson-Ododa added 10 points and 14 rebounds as the Huskies' tandem of Nelson-Ododa and Edwards (9 points, 10 rebounds) overwhelmed Indiana on the boards. Nelson-Ododa and Edwards combined for 10 of UConn's 15 offensive rebounds, holding the Hoosiers to just two offensive rebounds in all.

Indiana pulled within 11 points in the fourth quarter on an inside move by Mackenzie Holmes, but Bueckers answered with a layup assisted by Nelson-Ododa to get things trending back in UConn's direction and the Huskies finished the game on a 9-2 run.

UConn outscored Indiana 22-13 in the third quarter. 

Ali Patberg finished with 16 points for Indiana (24-9) and leading scorer Grace Berger had 13, just two in the first half.

"I thought we did an amazing job defensively," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "I thought that was the difference in the game, that we were able to get the stops that we needed and not let them play to their strengths, which was let their guards really, really go off.

"And then that spurt in the third quarter really kind of put us in great position. During that stretch there was a look about us that we felt exceptionally confident. We knew exactly where we were going. We knew where the ball was going. We knew where the shots were coming from."

Indiana led 8-2 early, the Hoosiers' offense seeming to come easily with back-to-back jump shots by Patberg and Nicole Cardano-Hillary pushing the lead to six.

UConn still trailed 18-13 on a basket by Holmes when Fudd hit her second 3-point field goal of the quarter to pull within two and Williams drove and was fouled, completing a three-point play which gave the Huskies their first lead at 19-18. Nelson-Ododa scored on an offensive rebound to end the quarter with a 21-18 lead.

Indiana tied it at 21 on a 3 by Patberg, but UConn regained the lead for good on a basket by Caroline Ducharme and led by as many as nine after Fudd pulled up for a 3 in transition, making it 35-26.

v.fulkerson@theday.com

No. 1 N.C. State vs. No. 2 UConn

NCAA tournament Elite 8

Location: Total Mortgage Arena, Bridgeport

Tip: 7 p.m. (ESPN)

Records: UConn 28-5, N.C. State 32-3

Last game: UConn beat No. 3 Indiana in the NCAA tournament Sweet 16 Saturday 75-58; N.C. State beat No. 5 Notre Dame in the NCAA tournament Sweet 16 Saturday 66-63.

Last game's starters: UConn, 6-3 F Aaliyah Edwards (7.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg), 6-5 F Olivia Nelson-Ododa (9.5 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.8 bpg), 5-11 G Paige Bueckers (13.8 ppg, 4.2 apg, 1.6 spg), 5-11 G Christyn Williams (14.5 ppg, 2.3 apg, 1.6 spg), 5-11 G Azzi Fudd (12.4 ppg).

N.C. State, 6-1 F Kayla Jones (8.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.1 apg), 6-5 C Elissa Cunane (13.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg), 5-4 G Raina Perez (8.8 ppg, 2.8 apg, 1.1 spg), 5-8 G Kai Crutchfield (6.4 ppg, 1.8 apg, 1.1 spg), 6-0 G/F Jakia Brown-Turner (9.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.0 apg).

Noteworthy: N.C. State, despite being the top-seeded team in the Bridgeport Region, finds itself in the unenviable position of having to beat No. 2 UConn in front of a Huskies-centric crowd at Total Mortgage Arena. Many of the Wolfpack players, however, have been in tough situations on the road before including a win last year at top-ranked South Carolina, something which gives them confidence, senior center Elissa Cunane said. "I think tomorrow is a home game for them. There's no question about that," Cunane said. "We've gone to South Carolina and beat them at their home, Indiana this year. We're capable of beating a great team on their home court, so we know we're capable of doing it tomorrow." Said N.C. State coach Wes Moore, told of Cunane's response: "No doubt that gives me confidence, so hopefully it gives them confidence. Hopefully it gives the players confidence that it doesn't really matter. We're going against five at a time." ... UConn dominated the boards in Saturday's Sweet 16 victory over Indiana, outrebounding the Hoosiers 39-27. Senior Olivia Nelson-Ododa finished with 14 rebounds and sophomore Aaliyah Edwards had 10, with the two combining for 10 offensive rebounds. The Huskies were 31-for-67 shooting (46.3%), attempting 19 more shots than Indiana, which went 23-for-48 (47.9%). "I do think as you go on in this tournament, really the thing that separates the teams that win and the teams that lose is your ability to get more shots than the other team gets," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "Shots are going to be hard to make in tomorrow's game and the more of them you get, the better chance you have. We have the ability to be a really, really good rebounding team and (Saturday) we showed it." ... UConn has been to an unprecedented 16 regional finals. Next on the list, according to research by ESPN, are Louisiana Tech (1982-90) with nine and Tennessee (2002-08) with seven. ... N.C. State and UConn will begin a regular-season series next year, with the Wolfpack returning to Connecticut. "I don't know why, but I've agreed to a series with UConn," Moore said with a laugh. "In case y'all want to come back and see me again, I'll be holding a press conference again." ... N.C. State has won 13 games in a row, with its last loss coming Feb 1 at Notre Dame (69-66). UConn has also won 13 straight, last falling Feb. 9 against Villanova (72-69). ... N.C. State guard Kai Crutchfield's dad, Buddy, is a former NFL cornerback for the Washington Redskins and New York Jets.

— Vickie Fulkerson