STORRS, Conn. — It was Senior Night at UConn's Gampel Pavillion Friday in what turned out to be a lopsided victory over Georgetown.
Hopkins native and UConn star point guard Paige Bueckers finished with 21 points, eight assists and three steals as the 15th-ranked Huskies cruised to an 85-44 victory over the Hoyas. While it was another impressive night for the Hopkins High School standout, Bueckers' biggest moment came postgame.
"Everybody wants me to address the elephant in the room," said Bueckers during the Senior Night ceremony. "Unfortunately, this will not be my last Senior Night."
Bueckers was expected to be a lottery pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft, but will instead play out her senior season with the Huskies. This season, Bueckers is averaging 20 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.8 steals per game.
Bueckers was named national player of the year as a freshman, spending that season playing in front of cardboard cutouts during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading the Huskies to the national semifinals where they lost to Arizona.
She spent most of her sophomore year on the bench with a tibia plateau fracture in her left knee but came back in time to lead the Huskies to the national championship game, where they lost to South Carolina.
She suffered a torn ACL in that same knee before last season and was out the entire year.
Friday's announcement was met with thunderous applause as the Huskies chase their first national title since 2016. Also during the ceremony, star UConn forward Aubrey Griffin announced she would return next season.
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