UConn guard Kaitlyn Chen (20) drives around Southern California guard Talia von Oelhoffen (55) during the second half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament Monday, March 31, 2025, in Spokane, Wash.
Jenny Kane/Associated Press
When UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma went into the transfer portal during last offseason and convinced Kaitlyn Chen to play for the Huskies this season, there were some who questioned why he would add another player to a deep roster already full of players competing for playing time.
He said he wanted someone with experience to fill the void left when Nika Mühl moved on to the WNBA. He also wanted to add another elite competitor to a Huskies team that may well have been deep but laced experience.
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He saw Chen as the perfect player to fit the Huskies’ needs, and he had unique insight, because Chen had played the last three years at Princeton, where one of Auriemma’s former players, Carla Berube, is the head coach.
He knew he was getting a competitor who had been in some big games at Princeton, specifically a few NCAA Tournament games against high-level teams, and performed very well.
UConn guard Kaitlyn Chen (20) shoots while pressured by Southern California guard Avery Howell (23) and center Rayah Marshall (13) during the first half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Monday, March 31, 2025, in Spokane, Wash.
Young Kwak/Associated Press
Chen put her big-game experience to work for the Huskies on Monday night, scoring 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting to help UConn beat USC, 78-64, in the NCAA Tournament Spokane Regional final to advance the Huskies to the Final Four.
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While it is the 24th Final Four appearance overall for the Huskies and their 16th in the last 17 tournaments played, it is the first for Chen.
“It’s been an incredible experience so far,” Chen said. “Honestly, I never thought I would make it to a Final Four, but here I am. But that’s all, all the credit goes to my coaches and my teammates because we wouldn’t be here without them.”
Chen played a significant role, as well. She played the final 11:09 of the game and provided some stability when UConn really needed it.
USC scored the final 11 points of the third quarter to shrink what had been a 19-point lead early in the second half to just five points going into the final 10 minutes.
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SPOKANE, WASHINGTON – MARCH 31: Kaitlyn Chen #20 of the UConn Huskies warms up before an Elite Eight game of the womenâs NCAA basketball tournament against the USC Trojans held at the Spokane Arena on March 31, 2025 in Spokane, Washington. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
Alika Jenner/Getty Images
Chen provided some solid defense early in the fourth quarter as Azzi Fudd and Bueckers carried the Huskies on a 12-3 run, and then Chen stepped up offensively with six points over the final two minutes.
Her performance Monday also included two assists and one steal with no turnovers. That came after a Sweet 16 game against Oklahoma in which she contributed six points, four assists and four steals. She’s been a strong defender when the Huskies have needed it.
“I feel like that’s something that we always put an emphasis on,” Chen said about her defensive contributions. “We’re always talking about on-ball pressure and the more on-ball pressure we have the better our defense is. I feel like our coaches prepare us very well for both of these games, and we were locked in defensively for most of the game.”
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In his opening statement during UConn’s postgame press conference Monday night, Auriemma said that while Paige Bueckers and Sarah Strong clearly played the lead roles to advance the Huskies to the Final Four, they needed someone to complement all that they did. Chen was that player.
“Like anything else, somebody else has to step up, and I thought Kaitlyn was fantastic tonight,” Auriemma said. “Probably more than anything, I’m really proud of her because she left college, took a chance, ‘I want to go to the Final Four. I want to try to play for a National Championship,’ and I’m glad that we’re able to provide the opportunity for her.”
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON – MARCH 31: Kaitlyn Chen #20, Paige Bueckers #5 and Aubrey Griffin #44 of the UConn Huskies celebrate after defeating the USC Trojans 78-64 in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Spokane Arena on March 31, 2025 in Spokane, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Steph Chambers/Getty Images
Chen, who is from San Marino, Calif., said she has been a UConn fan for a long time and remembered watching the Huskies play at UCLA when she was in high school. She never thought she would ever have a chance to play for them, especially in such a big game like the one she took part in Monday.
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Chen had scored 17 points in a first-round NCAA game against No. 6 seed Kentucky her sophomore season at Princeton in 2022. She followed that up her junior year with 22 points and seven rebounds against NC State in the first round and 19 points against Utah in a second-round loss.
Her last season at Princeton she had scored 20 points against No. 20-ranked Oklahoma and a game-high 24 points against No. 3 UCLA in regular season games. But she had never played in a game with as much meaning and as much pressure as Monday night’s regional final to decide who claimed the last Final Four spot this year.
She said she just leaned on her teammates to show her the way.
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“Honestly, I feel like I relied on my teammates a lot throughout this whole process,” Chen said. “A lot of them have experienced this and deep runs in the NCAA tournament and just sort of looking towards them for guidance, and they’re always so composed throughout the whole tournament. So, just sort of fitting in and staying on par with them.”
Indeed she is fitting in, just the way Auriemma envisioned she would.
