Paige Bueckers Says She Had a 'Bad Game' in Return to UConn After Knee Injury

Connecticut had no problems in a 102-58 win over Dayton in its season opener on Wednesday, but Paige Bueckers wasn't happy with how she played in her first game since April 3, 2022.

The star guard, who missed the entire 2022-23 season due to a torn ACL, told reporters after the win "it was a bad game for me," but she was "grateful to have a bad game right now."

Bueckers scored eight points on 3-of-9 shooting with seven rebounds and four assists in 21 minutes. Her 33.3 field-goal percentage was her second-worst in a game with at least five attempts.

The only game that was worse for Bueckers was during her freshman season when she went 3-of-14 in a win over Tennessee.

Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma said he expected to see some rust from Bueckers because of how long she was out of action.

"The game doesn't all of a sudden leave you when you haven't played, but it also doesn't automatically come back that fast, either," Auriemma explained. "Given that it was the first game, I thought she was what I thought she would be, and she'll be better on Sunday and she'll be better next Thursday."

Bueckers tore the ACL in her left knee during a pickup game in August 2022. She had problems in that knee prior to the ACL injury, including a tibial plateau fracture and meniscus tear that kept her out of action for almost three months during the 2021-22 season.

Despite her own disappointment, the most encouraging thing from Bueckers was that she didn't seem tentative. The 22-year-old had no problems driving to the basket and fighting for rebounds.

Bueckers was named the Naismith College Player of the Year and won the John R. Wooden Award as the nation's most outstanding player as a freshman in 2020-21. She averaged 18.0 points on 53.0 percent shooting, 5.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game in 46 appearances during her first two seasons.

The Huskies' next game will be against North Carolina State at Reynolds Coliseum.