Making History, Paige Bueckers Feels “Surreal and Cool” Joining the “GOAT”

The No. 17 UConn Huskies achieved a 76-64 victory over No. 24 North Carolina on Sunday, with Paige Bueckers making history. Bueckers completed a layup after four dribbles and a jump, which led to cheers from the Mohegan Sun Arena audience and a chest bump for rookie KK Arnold from the cheerleaders when UNC called a timeout.

The 2021 National Player of the Year, Paige Bueckers, had a great time playing basketball for the first time in a long time, leading the No. 17 Huskies to victory in the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase on Sunday afternoon against No. 24 North Carolina.

Paige Bueckers achieved a historic accolade

Paige Bueckers led UConn with 26 points and only missed three of her 14 attempts. In her 55th game as a Husky, she achieved a milestone of 1,000 career points, tying Maya Moore for the fastest to reach this feat in school history.

The Bueckers also demonstrated an impressive defensive performance with a career-high four blocks and three steals, which coach Geno Auriemma would be proud of. After the game, Bueckers admired Maya Moore, saying, “Maya is one of the G.O.A.T.S., so being in that space is just amazing.”

She is so grateful for her coach who made it happen and didn’t forget to mention it,saying, “It’s just a testament of all that my teammates have done for me, all that my coaches have done for me. I’m just a product of what they do for me. I’m extremely grateful, and it’s an honor to be next to her.”

Although Bueckers’ achievement of 1,000 career points will receive the greatest attention, she also talked about the importance of an excellent defense.“I felt like I needed to have a huge defensive presence tonight … play Paige Bueckers basketball, play UConn basketball,” Bueckers said in a post-game presser.

Read More: Paige Bueckers Finally Breaks Silence on UConn Huskies’ Criticized Start to 2023–24 NCAA Season

A fantastic thriller between UNC vs Uconn

It was difficult to defeat the Tar Heels as a team. The Huskies had a lead of up to 18 points late in the third quarter, but North Carolina held UConn scoreless for over six minutes in the middle of the fourth quarter before going on a 9-0 run. With 2:30 left in the game, Edwards broke the UConn scoring drought, bringing the margin down to just eight points.

For the squad to be successful, as Auriemma has stated several times this season, players other than Paige Bueckers must contribute. Although Bueckers had to shoot 7 of 9 from the field in the first two quarters for her team to be tied at the half, Edwards undoubtedly did so in the second half.

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