Paige Bueckers Makes UConn History in Elite Eight Win Over USC
No. 2 seed UConn is moving on to the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA women's basketball tournament after a 78-64 win over No. 1 USC in the Elite Eight on Monday.
The Huskies were powered by fifth-year guard Paige Bueckers, who put up a game-high 31 points, three rebounds, six assists, four steals and two blocks in the win over a Trojans team playing without injured star JuJu Watkins.
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Bueckers has been money this year in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 29 points across four games. Her 105 points in the last three games is the most ever by a UConn player in a three-game stretch.
She has been putting up buckets in a Huskies jersey since her National Player of the Year campaign as a freshman, and her continued success culminated in a major milestone against USC.
UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) during the second half of an NCAA Tournament basketball game at Spokane Arena.James Snook-Imagn Images
In the fourth quarter, Bueckers passed former UConn player and current WNBA star Napheesa Collier for third place in the all-time UConn scoring list. Collier finished her college career with 2,401 points. Bueckers moves onto the Final Four with 2,406 to her name.
Bueckers is expected to declare for the 2025 WNBA Draft despite having one season of NCAA eligibility remaining. If she stayed, she might have a chance to catch Breanna Stewart in second place (2,676 points) and quite possibly, the record-holder Maya Moore (3,036 points).
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Related: Paige Bueckers' Draft Decision Draws Immediate Reaction From WNBA Star
Related: Geno Auriemma Sends Strong Message on JuJu Watkins Before UConn-USC
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