STORRS, Conn. — On the back of a vintage Paige Bueckers performance, the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team defeated the Syracuse Orange 72-64 at Gampel Pavilion on Monday evening, advancing to the program's 30th consecutive Sweet 16.
Bueckers, a redshirt junior guard and First-Team AP All-American, led the way for the Huskies (31-5), scoring 32 points, including 20 in the first half.
Even when it got too close for comfort, as Syracuse (25-8) cut the Huskies’ double-digit lead to two points in the final minutes, Bueckers stepped up. Beyond scoring, she made big plays such as diving for a loose ball and calling a timeout from her knees in a three-point game with 50 seconds left.
The Huskies led by 11 after the first half, but the Orange kept it close, pulling to within three points of UConn midway through the third quarter. UConn answered, extending its lead to nine points entering the fourth quarter.
Many of the shots UConn made in the first half didn’t fall in the second half, and Syracuse cut the lead to two points with just under two minutes to go. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough.
A three pointer with 27.9 seconds left from freshman KK Arnold rolled around the rim and in to put UConn up six. It sealed the deal.
Syracuse’s leading scorer, senior guard Dyaisha Fair, came in averaging 22.3 points per game but scored only two points in the first half, thanks in large part to senior guard Nika Muhl’s stellar defense. Fair did respond in the second half, scoring 20 points overall, as she moved into third on the all-time NCAA women's basketball scoring list.
Syracuse gained momentum when Muhl fouled out with just over five minutes remaining, sparking a quick Orange run. They failed to score in the final 1:12, however, ending their season.
Prior to fouling out, Muhl broke the all-time assists record at UConn during the first half. Her 663 career assists surpassed 2012-2016 guard Moriah Jefferson's 659.
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Monday marked the final game of the season at Gampel Pavilion and the final career home game in Storrs for UConn's star senior forward Aaliyah Edwards and Muhl; both will forgo their fifth year of eligibility to play in the WNBA next season .
Edwards contributed 11 points and 11 rebounds, and star freshman guard Ashlynn Shade scored 19 points. Muhl did not score but dished out five assists. Arnold netted 10 points.
Bueckers also had 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals, recording back-to-back double-doubles.
For Syracuse, freshman guard Sophie Burrows and junior guard Georgia Woolley both scored 18 points.
UConn advances Portland, Ore. to play the No. 7 seed Duke in the Portland 3 Region. Duke beat No. 2 seed Ohio State 75-63 on Sunday. A year ago, Ohio State eliminated UConn in the Sweet 16, marking the first time since 2007 that the Huskies failed to reach the Final Four. UConn hopes to begin a new streak this year.
Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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