Bueckers helps No. 10 UConn win Big East Tournament crown with 78-42 win over Georgetown

Updated Mar. 11, 2024 9:53 p.m. ET

Associated Press

UNCASVILE, Conn. (AP) — A year after missing out because of an injury, Paige Bueckers returned to make sure the UConn Huskies ended another Big East Tournament with a trophy in their hands and confetti raining down on their heads.

Bueckers scored 27 points and had five blocks to help the No. 10 Huskies beat Georgetown 78-42 on Monday night to win their 22nd Big East Tournament title.

“A year ago I would have done anything to be in basketball shoes instead of streetwear and to be playing in the most important month of basketball,” said Bueckers, who was sidelined with an ACL tear. “I wanted to embrace it and have fun. I'm extremely grateful and happy to be playing basketball.”

It was the 29th title overall for the Huskies, who haven't lost in a conference championship contest since 2013, when Notre Dame beat them for the Big East title.

UConn (29-5), which has been in 20 consecutive conference tournament championship games, has won all four titles since rejoining the Big East in 2020-21 after taking seven straight during its run in the American Athletic Conference.

Coach Geno Auriemma said this title was special with all the Huskies have been through this season, with five Huskies players out for the season with injuries.

“I don’t think any of them were quite as challenging for this team and these kids,” Auriemma said.

Georgetown was making its first appearance in the championship game in school history.

“This group is legendary,” Georgetown coach Darnell Haney said. “They were the first to do it.”

The Hoyas (22-11) already have the most wins since the 2011-12 team had 23. That was the last time the school made the NCAA Tournament. Despite making the title game, they are a long shot to make the NCAAs with a very weak non-conference schedule.

“I never thought we’d be in the Big East championship, be a (postseason) tournament team,” said Graceann Bennett, who led the Hoyas with 12 points.

Members of the Georgetown staff wore pink for the championship game in honor of Tasha Butts, the Hoyas coach who died of breast cancer on Oct. 23. Her 42nd birthday would have been Sunday.

UConn played stellar defense in the tournament. The Huskies held Marquette without a point for the final 14:49 of the semifinal win. Georgetown didn't score for the first 4:09 and trailed 11-0 before getting on the board.

It didn't get much better for the Hoyas. Bueckers, voted the most outstanding player of the tournament for the second time, had a four-point play with 1:24 left in the opening quarter that gave UConn a 25-9 lead.

On the next possession, the Huskies swung the ball around the perimeter with all five players touching it before freshman KK Arnold hit a 3-pointer from the corner. UConn led 28-11 after one quarter.

The Huskies extended the lead to 44-15 midway through the second quarter before the Hoyas scored 10 straight over the next four minutes to cut their deficit to 19.

Ashlynn Shade finally ended the Huskies scoring drought with a 3-pointer from the wing and UConn was up 47-25 at the half.

Georgetown never really threatened to close the gap in the second half.

An accidental shot to the face of Bueckers briefly stopped play in the third quarter. She had a bloody nose and when she returned, played a few minutes with gauze hanging out of her left nostrils to stop the bleeding. Bennett also had gauze in her nose from an earlier nose bleed before the half.

Both players were missing their post players. Aaliyah Edwards, who broke her nose against Providence in the quarterfinals, was sidelined for the second straight game. Georgetown was playing without Brianna Scott, who hurt her knee with 1:13 left in the semifinal win over Creighton. She was on crutches and had a giant brace on her right knee.

HISTORY MAKING

Bueckers became just the third player to repeat as most outstanding player of the tournament. She won it her freshman season also. Shelly Pennefather of Villanova and Kara Wolters of UConn were the other two.

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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball