The second sown UConn Huskies entered the Women’s NCAA tournament this year with high expectations.
The 34 points of the Huskies guard, Paige Bueckers, took the team to the victory on Monday over the state of South Dakota in the second round in Storrs. The 91-57 victory hit Uconn’s ticket to Sweet 16, where the Huskies will meet No. 3 Oklahoma.
The game also scored the last time Bueckers would take the court in the Gampel pavilion with a UConn uniform.
Bueckers went to the faithful of the Huskies moments after Monday’s game.
CLICK HERE for more sports coverage at Foxnews.com
The UConn Huskies Guard, Paige Bueckers (5), speaks with the crowd after defeating the Jackrabbits of the South Dakota state in the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut, March 24, 2025. (David Butler II/Imagn images)
“It means everything,” Bueckers said while standing in the central court holding a microphone. “We started playing here with cardboard cuts such as fans, so just to have gone through that and then experienced the other side, which was incredible. The atmosphere was incredible. You can’t even hear waiting times, you can’t even hear faults, you can’t even hear when the whistle blows only because of how strong they are and how much support they show.
Juju Watkins of USC suffers a knee devastating lesion in March madness game
“It has been a dream to play here, a dream to use this uniform, a dream to play in this environment. So much more times you want this to continue happening, you simply take all the opportunities you have and never take it for granted.”
The Uconn Huskies Guard, Paige Bueckers, leaves the floor after defeating the Jackrabbits of the South Dakota state in Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut, on March 24, 2025. (David Butler II/Imagn images)
The victory over the state of Dakota del Sur also assured the consecutive appearance of Sweet 16 consecutive of the Huskies. While Uconn had a slow start to Monday’s game, Bueckers scored the last 10 points of the huskies of the first quarter.
“It’s amazing to see him,” said Uconn Azzi Fudd guard. “You almost feel sorry for the other team when Paige is locked up. There is nothing you can do to stop it. It doesn’t matter what shot I take, the ball is going to enter. It was fun to see and see what it does.”
The UConn Huskies Guard, Paige Bueckers (5), makes his last basket in the Harry A. Gampel against the South Dakota state in Storrs, Connecticut, March 24, 2025. (David Butler II/Imagn images)
They have not been the easiest five years for Bueckers. A season was lost and limited to 17 games in another. He has a last chance to win a national championship before going to the WNBA, probably as the general selection number 1 in the Draft.
“When you are in high school, it seems so easy, you know? I’m going to Uconn and won a national championship,” said Uconn chief coach, Geno Auriemma. “Reality hits, and you realize that it is incredibly difficult to do that. So, I don’t want anyone to feel less full when they leave here if they don’t have a national championship.
“He has put himself in that position that if he leaves here without winning one, he will feel less full. I do not feel that way and, as I said, he is doing things that nobody has done before. She has had to do a lot for us all the time she has been here, and she is being rewarded. All that all you have said about her, that everyone is written about her, everything is true.”
There will be a time when Bueckers will reflect on the memories of his time playing in Connecticut. He was not ready to consider Monday’s victory as the final chapter of his career in UCONN.
“I am sure we will have more time to reflect on it when the season ends,” Bueckers said. “At this time, we are super focused on the present, but obviously simply extremely grateful, and you really can’t express in words how much this place has meant. I am always indebted, and it has become my second home.”
