Paige Bueckers proved every bit the superstar she was propped to be in UConn’s 2024-25 season opener against Boston University.
In the 86-32 thrashing of the Terriers, the Huskies seemingly scored at will, at one point amassing a 50-point lead at the end of the third quarter. Throughout, Bueckers controlled the game in a way only she should, finding teammates for easy looks at the basket and setting the tone for a UConn squad looking for a national championship at the end of the year.
The 23-year-old finished the game with 13 points, seven assists, five steals, four rebounds and one block in 24 minutes as her all-around performance set the pace with which the Terriers just couldn’t match. After the game, head coach Geno Auriemma spoke of Bueckers’ impact on the team as UConn chases a title this season.
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“When we have certain lineups out there, we look like the kind of team that can be very, very successful,” Auriemma told SNY’s Chelsea Sherrod after the game. “We just have to make sure we can do it with multiple lineups, rather than just one or two.
“So I liked the way we played that whole first half. I like our energy, how well we shot the ball. The second half, we wanted to concentrate on running some stuff and so we didn’t take advantage. We didn’t want to do any transition stuff. … For the first game out, I thought we had a lot of players play really well.”
UConn’s win also showed how deadly the entire team was as a whole. The 60 points the Huskies put up in the first half were the most it’s ever scored against a Division I opponent since December 2020, showing how balanced this iteration of the team was.
Paige Bueckers’ decision to stay at UConn is proving dividends, with the star looking like a professional (
Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)
And while Bueckers’ display might be surprising to some, especially as she let star forward Sarah Strong carry the load on offense, it was not a surprise to skills development coach Chris Hyppa. Speaking to The Wichita Eagle before the season began in earnest, the coach explained that Bueckers’ work in the offseason is paying off, with the star looking like a “professional.”
“I’m a basketball junkie. I love the game, and that just kind of flows from her,” Hyppa told the outlet. “She just has this gift about her, this aura, and it’s all about her deep love for the game. It was a very, very tight, detailed schedule that she had, and I would imagine she did that for two or three months in a row, and she never showed any sign of being tired or not wanting to be in the gym. She’s a professional right now.”
If Bueckers continues on this pace for the entire season, she can further cement herself as the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. In doing so, she will be putting Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark on notice as the star guard looks to make her mark in the league.
Additionally, Thursday’s win slightly quieted UConn Geno Auriemma’s concerns of having an experienced guard out on the floor at all times. Strong, a forward, finished the game with 17 points – tied with Jana El Alfy for the game high – on 8-of-12 shooting from the field to go along with six steals.
“If Paige and Sarah (Strong) are not both on the floor, then it makes it difficult for (other players) to kinda know who do we rely on,” Auriemma said before the season. “That’s going to take some time.”
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