In what was likely Paige Bueckers's final game at UConn's Gampel Pavilion on Monday night, the Huskies star guard made it count.
Bueckers put on a show in UConn's 91-57 win over No. 10 South Dakota State to secure the Huskies' 31st consecutive Sweet 16 berth, finishing with 34 points to join Maya Moore as the only players in program history to record multiple 30-point games in the NCAA tournament.
UConn has made it to the Final Four three times during Bueckers's tenure (2021, '22, '24), and the fifth-year senior will be hoping to go all the way before she kicks off her professional career in the WNBA in April.
In search of the elusive NCAA title, Bueckers could have a bit of good karma on her side. Before the Huskies' victory over South Dakota State, Bueckers reportedly helped pay for 1,500 tickets for UConn students to attend the sold-out game.
Student tickets to UConn games are usually free—including those to March Madness home games—but for some reason students needed to pay this year. Bueckers partnered with Dunkin’ Donuts and Round21 to fund a sizable portion of student tickets for the second-round NCAA tournament matchup:
A Storrs legend.
Led by Bueckers, star freshman Sarah Strong and senior guard Azzi Fudd, UConn will face No. 3 Oklahoma at Spokane Arena on Saturday.
On behalf of our seniors, our whole entire team, I've had the time of my life here," Bueckers told the crowd at Gampel Pavilion. "It's been five years I dreamt of as a kid. I can't thank you enough, we can't thank you enough for all the support. Thank you for making this a second home. Best supporters in the country. Thank you for this season, for everything."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Paige Bueckers Had Classy Move Before Her Final Home Game at UConn.