UConn's Auriemma lauds 'spectacular' Bueckers

UConn head coach Geno Auriemma has witnessed some superlative performances by Paige Bueckers in her four seasons with the program. Perhaps none more so than Saturday's display in the No. 2 Huskies' 82-59 Sweet 16 victory over Oklahoma.

"Paige was spectacular," Auriemma told reporters, according to ESPN's Alexa Philippou. "That was as good a game as I've seen her play the whole time she's been here, at the most important time."

Bueckers scored a career-high 40 points, a UConn tournament record, with 29 of them coming in the second half. The consensus No. 1 pick in the upcoming WNBA draft single-handedly outscored Oklahoma over the final 20 minutes.

The 23-year-old finished the contest with an efficient 16-of-27 mark from the field and received a standing ovation from fans at Spokane Arena when she left the game at the 3:08 mark in the fourth quarter.

That's not to say Bueckers was perfect. The 2021 College Player of the Year went scoreless in a second quarter that also featured some defensive lapses as Oklahoma grabbed a halftime lead. Bueckers went on a tear in the final frame, though, scoring 19 straight points on 8-of-9 shooting during a spell in which the Sooners managed only five points.

"When it starts happening in a game, in the back of your mind, you go, 'Here it goes,'" Auriemma said about Bueckers' effort. "And you know that unless the other team does something, it's just going to keep piling it on."

Bueckers now has 74 points in two games on the heels of a 34-point outburst in the second-round win over South Dakota State, her previous career high.

"Little by little it's dawned on her, I think, that there is no next year," Auriemma said. "There is no 'I can get this anytime I want.' You're going to have to get it now or it won't be available anymore."

The Huskies will face No. 1 USC in the Elite Eight on Monday. The Trojans are without star JuJu Watkins, who tore her ACL in the second-round victory over Mississippi State.

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