Paige Bueckers leads No. 2 UConn to win over No. 1 South Carolina
It was a matchup between No. 1 and No. 2, but ultimately, it came down to one player.
In Storrs, Connecticut, the legend of freshman Paige Bueckers continues to grow with each passing game. This time, it was a 31-point eruption to lead the No. 2 UConn Huskies to a 63-59 overtime win over the top-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks.
In a game in which offense was hard to come by, with both teams shooting below 40% from the field, Bueckers knocked down 14 of 26 shot attempts.
In overtime, she went 3-for-3 for seven points, including this mega-bounce 3-pointer to ice the game for the Huskies.
Bueckers' shooting outburst carried a Huskies offense that didn't have another player score in double figures, and she managed to stuff the stat sheet in other ways to lead her team to a victory.
In addition to her 31 points, the freshman guard recorded four rebounds, five assists and six steals.
Bueckers' steals were a key factor in the Gamecocks' 22 turnovers, which helped keep their leading scorer, Zia Cooke, out of rhythm all night.
Cooke entered the game averaging 16.2 points per game, but she was held to just 11 points on 4-for-12 shooting, along with four turnovers.
Bueckers' impressive all-around performance garnered reaction from two of the greatest UConn Huskies of all time, Breanna Stewart and Rebecca Lobo, and many others on Twitter.
Bueckers is still a freshman phenom, but she is also proving herself to be one of the best players in the country, regardless of class.
In her past five games, three of which were against ranked opponents, she is averaging 28.4 points, including three 30-plus-point performances.
The rest of her sport has officially been put on notice.
