SPOCANE, Wash. (AP) – Page Bookers scored a career-high 40 points, rescued UConn from the awful first half, turning a tight game against Oklahoma into an 82-59 defeat on Saturday, sending the Husky to the women’s elite 8 NCAA Tournament.
The Bueckers scored 29 points after halftime The case of the Husky who kicked out 36-32 during a break. The No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft overturned her previous career-best 34 points set at UConn’s on Monday 2nd round victory over South Dakotaher final home final game at Gumpel Pavilion.
The inspiring senior security guard matched her career with the last two three-pointers in a personal 10-0 run in the fourth quarter. The Bueckers checked out the game with 3:06 left, with UCONN moving ahead 80-51.
“Obviously, Page was spectacular,” UConn director Geno Aurienma said. “It was just as good a game as I saw her playing at the most important times throughout her time here. When you’re a senior and you’re around as long as she has, this is what you should do. This is why you’re here.”
The second-seeded Husky (34-3) is the winner of a 13-game winning streak and will face the winners of Saturday’s late game in Southern California and Canas State in Monday’s regional final.
Ashlynn Shade has added 12 points, while Sarah Strong is looking to extend his record by having 11 points and 11 rebounds for UConn, winning his 12th national title. The Husky have reached the 18th Elite 8 in the last 19 seasons, but Auriemma’s team hasn’t won it all since 2016.
“To be honest, we wanted to continue the season as long as possible,” Bueckers said. “We all love to play together. We love to play here. We love this program.”
Payton Barhurst scored 16 points in Oklahoma, the third seed since 2013 (27-8). This was the first time I reached Sweet 16 since 2013.
“I just told my seniors and obviously this loss is terrible, it’s going to hurt, tears and heartbreak, but I think the biggest message I wanted to hear from them was that they started this culture in Oklahoma,” Verhulst said.
The Sooners jumped for an 8-0 lead. The Huskies’ first point came on a Bueckers three-pointer, just over three minutes into the game. The Husky led 17-12 after the opening quarter.
Verhulst hit a deep three-pointer and brought the Sooners back to 24-23. She added a jumper and another three to extend the lead to 29-23. Verhulst scored 13 points in the second quarter.
Reyna Scott’s three sent the Sooners to the break with a four-point lead.
The Bueckers, who led UConn to last year’s Final Four, lost to ultimate champion South Carolina, but came out after the break to reveal that their college career would continue, moving forward with the Husky with eight points early in the third quarter.
Her first break layup stretched the lead to 48-40, and the Husky controlled the game from there, heading towards 59-46 in the final quarter.
She gave UConn a 62-46 lead and added a deep three that put the game out of reach for Oklahoma, but continued scoring anyway, sending a message to opponents who could be trying to stop the Husky’s championship pursuit.
“At this point in the season, everyone is trying to win, win national titles and keep the season as long as possible,” Bueckers said. “Everyone has the same goal. Whether your season is over or your career is over, you will stay with one game at a time, one practice at a time, one practice at a time, one practice, one possession, focus on it and maximize it and never catch up with the future.”
Bueckers’ best
The Bueckers outperformed Tina Charles in fourth place on UConn’s career scoring list.
Minnesota’s Playmaking Guard was the consensus national player of the year as a freshman, with the arrival of the French blade, signed by UCONN in 2020. However, her next two seasons were derailed by injuries. She left the entire 2022-23 campaign with a torn ACL.
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