Paige Bueckers Credits 'Team Effort' for Historic Sweet 16 Performance in UConn Win

Paige Bueckers wanted to spread the spotlight around after UConn advanced to the Elite Eight of the 2025 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.

UConn cruised to an 82-59 victory over Oklahoma in the Sweet Sixteen and Bueckers had a 40-point outburst in the win. While she scored at a meteoric pace, she was quick to credit her teammates in the post-game press conference.

"People see the points, but a large attribution to Sarah, Jana, Ice, the way they were screening for me," Bueckers said.

She also spoke about the team's mutual quest to keep the season alive.

"Honestly, we just wanted to keep our season going as long as possible. We all love playing together, we love playing here. We just love this program and everything it means, so we wanted to keep going as long as possible."

In addition to her monster point total, Bueckers also contributed six rebounds and an assist. She shot 16-of-27 and 6-of-8 from three-point range.

Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong had five assists and Kaitlyn Chen had four. The Huskies also had 18 steals and won the rebounding battle 43-41.

Bueckers play has been strong all season as she has averaged 19.2 points, 4.8 assists and 4.4 rebounds while leading the Huskies to a 34-3 overall record.

UConn will face either USC or Kansas State in the Elite Eight. USC is the No. 1 seed in the region while UConn is the second seed. The Huskies are seeking a berth in the Final Four for the fourth time in the last five seasons.