UConn After Dorka Juhász's injury, the women's basketball team regroups: 'Get this victory for her,' says the narrator.

 BRIDGEPORT, N.H. — The players circled Dorka Juhász as they celebrated at midcourt minutes after the UConn women's basketball team finished a grueling double-overtime victory over NC State in the regional championship.

Juhász shared tears and happiness with her colleagues while wearing a sling on her damaged left arm. They embraced her, wore a "Final Four" hat on her head, and made her the focal point of their post-game celebration.

The players were noticeably shaken earlier in the night when Juhász collapsed on the court after driving to the hoop. She landed on her left arm and sustained a horrific injury.

The Total Mortgage Arena was deafeningly quiet. Juhász rolled over in anguish, her teammates consoled her, and a trainer was summoned right away.

Senior Evina Westbrook was the last player to retreat to the bench, crying as she sat among her teammates.

UConn coach Geno Auriemma stated, "They were pretty shaken up about that." "It was one of those things that you'd seen on TV before, and it wasn't pretty." They also had the opportunity to see it up close. They did, but I didn't. As a result, they were quite upset about it. It was obvious in their expressions.

The injury was described by Auriemma as a fracture and dislocation. When Juhász went down with 6:19 left in the first half, UConn was leading NC State 25-18. She had to be helped off the court and walked to the locker room in obvious discomfort.

Juhász returned to the bench in the third quarter after UConn led 34-28 at halftime. Paige Bueckers led the Huskies to victory with 27 points, including eight in the second overtime period.

The Huskies will compete in their 14th consecutive Final Four in Minnesota. Juhász, a graduate transfer from Ohio State, will not be a part of the team.

Juhász was active and producing when she entered the game Monday, despite just playing three minutes in a Sweet 16 win against Indiana on Saturday. In three minutes, she had two points and two rebounds, and she was a defensive force, as UConn was a plus-five with her on the court.

"She didn't play well the previous night and didn't play at all, but in the (three) minutes she did play today, she was the game's most important aspect," Auriemma said. "Every defensive possession, every rebound possession, and every attacking possession had an influence on her." So that happening at that precise moment is the reason the kid arrived here."

Before Monday, Juhász had averaged 7.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 31 games, including 15 starts. Auriemma's work ethic has been praised, and she has become a beloved figure among her teammates.

This is also her first NCAA Tournament appearance.

"Seeing a teammate fall down like that, especially in the middle of a game, is always difficult," senior Christyn Williams said. "However, Coach got us together and basically told us that the most important thing we could do for her was to win the game and win it for her." That was probably our mindset for the rest of the game.

"It was great to see her after the game," says the player. She was wearing a sling, which was sad, but we just hugged her and assured her that we would be there for her no matter what. We were absolutely ecstatic to be able to secure this victory for her."

UConn has had to deal with a slew of ailments and illnesses this season. Only two of the team's 12 players have played in every game: Russell Westbrook and Aaliyah Edwards.

So this is a group that is used to dealing with adversity.

"With the way our season has gone so far, I feel like we were well prepared for this game and for anything like that to happen," Williams said. "A lot of us have been injured at some time during the season, so we've learned to sub in and just keep rolling with the punches." That is precisely what occurred today. Yes, we always manage to get things done."

"We knew we were built for this moment," freshman Azzi Fudd said. We went through everything this season to prepare for today, and I believe we accomplished just that; we stayed together and kept our cool."

Juhász, a Hungarian native, is eligible to play again next season. Auriemma has stated that she informed him that she intends to return.

Her loss will be felt shortly. On Friday night, UConn will face defending national champion Stanford, and Auriemma's bench will be smaller.

Auriemma saw Juhász as the missing piece after losing to Arizona in the national semifinal last year.

"I suggested she could be the difference that takes us over that hill from last year, where we needed one more big body to do some things," he stated after seeing Dorka practice for a long period. "Unfortunately, she will not have the opportunity to do so."

The injury, on the other hand, served as a reminder that Auriemma and UConn should be proud of their accomplishments. This may have been the most arduous journey to the Final Four, and the fact that it was accomplished without an important player only added to the satisfaction.

"All of this is fine and dandy, but all of these gleaming moments — one gleaming moment that ain't gleaming, and your season is over," Auriemma said. "That's how delicate everything is, and that's why you have to appreciate and enjoy everything." It makes no difference to me how many of these we win. They're still the same as the first."