Juju Watkins is left in tears as USC crashes out of March Madness after loss to UConn

USC star guard Juju Watkins was left in tears after the top seeded Trojans bowed out of the NCAA women's tournament with a 80-73 defeat to No. 3-seed UConn, before Huskies guard Paige Bueckers consoled her on the court in front of cameras. 

Watkins, who had 29 points and 10 rebounds in 39 minutes in Monday night's Elite Eight matchup, was seen wiping her tears with her USC jersey shortly after the game clock expired in Portland, Oregon, as ESPN picked up the act of sportsmanship on national TV. 

The sports network also highlighted the moment on X, with fans praising Bueckers for her gesture toward Watkins, a freshman who averaged 27 points in her first full season of women's college basketball. 

A user pointed out that 'acts of sportsmanship like this remind us that the spirit of competition goes beyond winning or losing.'

Another shared: 'In a heartwarming display of sportsmanship, Paige Bueckers shows kindness by consoling Juju Watkins after their intense Elite Eight matchup. True class on and off the court.' 

ESPN caught UConn's Paige Bueckers consoling USC's Juju Watkins after Monday night's game

The freshman USC guard had 29 pts and 10 rebounds in the Trojans' Elite Eight loss in Portland

Bueckers ran the show for the Huskies as UConn will now play Caitlin Clark's Iowa on Friday

'Two superstars who played their hearts out,' a fan also said. 

'Good sportsmanship!' shared someone else.

UConn broke open a tie game with an 8-0 run to start the third quarter and never looked back as USC suffered its first defeat since February 25 on Monday night. 

There was simply too much Bueckers for Trojans (29-6) to deal with. Bueckers collected 28 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three steals in her latest brilliant display. She was named the Portland 3 Region's Most Outstanding Player.  

Aaliyah Edwards added 24 points and six rebounds for the third-seeded Huskies (33-5), who extended their winning streak to 13 games and will face No. 1 Iowa in the Final Four on Friday in Cleveland. 

McKenzie Forbes was USC's second-best scorer of the night with 24 points after Watkins' 29-point piece.