Paige Bueckers’ 40-point performance places her among the best ever at UConn

SPOKANE, Wash. — Paige Bueckers exited the game with just more than three minutes to play against Oklahoma to a raucous ovation that made the arena in Spokane — nearly 2,700 miles from Connecticut’s home court in Storrs — sound like it was right in Bueckers’ backyard. She had played just seven minutes in the fourth quarter, outscoring the entire Oklahoma team 19-13 in that quarter, tallying nearly half of her career-best 40 points on the night in that span. Of all the greats to come through UConn — the players now known by their first name — none had ever scored as much in an NCAA Tournament game.

Bueckers took a well-earned seat on the bench, and Geno Auriemma turned around, never one to dwell too long on platitudes and congratulations.

“Did you come out just to get that ovation, or were you tired?” he asked.

She said she was tired. Auriemma smirked and said he didn’t believe her.

He coached the final three minutes as hard as he did the previous 37, and as time expired in UConn’s 82-59 Sweet 16 victory, he crossed the court and shook Oklahoma coach Jennie Baranczyk’s hand. You could almost see his wheels already spinning ahead to the Elite Eight, a game he knows well as the hardest postseason hurdle.

No time to waste on records broken, historic performances made. If there’s a coach who has most often watched history made in this game only to turn the page moments later, it’s Auriemma. It’s both a byproduct of the greatness of UConn and its players, and a necessary ingredient to the program’s success.

It was “as good a game as I’ve seen her play the whole time she’s been here at the most important time,” Auriemma said as Bueckers sat next to him at the postgame news conference, before later, half-jokingly, backtracking.

“Did I really say that? That that’s the best I’ve seen her play? That came out of my mouth?” he said with a wry smile. “Well, that’s the most I’ve seen her shoot, and she was really bad defensively, so we can’t just let her off the hook that easily. We still got, hopefully, a couple more games to go before she gets canonized.”

So, for now, we’ll save the senior’s canon for another day. Instead, let’s stick to the facts.

It was as good a game as Bueckers has ever played in a UConn uniform. And it came at a time when it was most necessary for this program.

PAIGE BUECKERS TODAY 🔥

• 40 POINTS

• 6 REBOUNDS

• 6/8 3PM

• 16/27 FG

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— Women’s Hoops Network (@WomensHoops_USA) March 29, 2025

While the Huskies’ team shirts read “Nothing easy” on Saturday night, Bueckers sure made a lot look easy.

The way she came off screens. How she sank 6 of 8 3-pointers. How she sliced and diced through the Sooners defense. As the Huskies struggled to sink shots in the first half, despite getting the looks they wanted, and as Bueckers was held scoreless in the second quarter, she looked as poised as ever.

If you didn’t know that Bueckers’ career had been hijacked multiple times by injuries and ailments over the last five years (both to her and her teammates), it would be fair to assume that her UConn experience had many moments ...