Bueckers’ career-high 40 dooms Oklahoma

SPOKANE, Wash. — Paige Bueckers scored a career-high 40 points, rescuing UConn from its first-half doldrums and single-handedly turning a tight game against Oklahoma into an 82-59 rout on Saturday that sent the Huskies to the Elite Eight of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

Bueckers had 29 points after halftime for the Huskies, who trailed 36-32 at the break. The likely No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft eclipsed her previous career best of 34 points, set Monday in UConn’s second-round victory over South Dakota State, her final home final game at Gampel Pavilion.

The electrifying senior guard matched her career high with six 3-pointers, the last two during a personal 10-0 run in the fourth quarter. Bueckers checked out of the game with 3:06 left and UConn ahead 80-51.

“Obviously, Paige was spectacular,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “That was as good a game as I’ve seen her play the whole time she’s been here, at the most important time. When you’re a senior and you’ve been around as long as she has, this is what you’re here to do. This is why you came here.”

The second-seeded Huskies (34-3), winners of 13 straight, will face the winner of Saturday’s late game between Southern California and Kanas State in a regional final on Monday.

Ashlynn Shade added 12 points and Sarah Strong had 11 points and 11 rebounds for UConn, which is seeking to extend its record by winning a 12th national title. The Huskies reached their 18th Elite Eight in the past 19 seasons, but Auriemma’s team hasn’t won it all since 2016.

“Honestly, we just wanted to keep our season going as long as possible,” Bueckers said. “We all love playing together. We love playing here. We just love this program.”

Payton Verhulst scored 16 points for third-seeded Oklahoma (27-8), which reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013. The Sooners have never beaten the Huskies in a series that includes the 2002 national title game.

“I just said to our seniors, obviously this loss sucks, it should hurt, there’s going to be tears and heartbreak, but I think the biggest message that I wanted them to hear was that they started this culture at Oklahoma,” Verhulst said.

The Sooners jumped out to an 8-0 lead. The Huskies’ first points came on Bueckers’ 3-pointer just over three minutes into the game, which touched off a 11-0 UConn run. The Huskies led 17-12 after the opening quarter.

Verhulst hit a deep 3-pointer to put the Sooners back on top, 24-23. She added a jumper and another 3 to extend the lead to 29-23. Verhulst had 13 points in the second quarter.

Reyna Scott’s 3 sent the Sooners into the break with a four-point lead.

Bueckers — who led UConn to last year’s Final Four, where it lost to eventual champion South Carolina — came out after the break and made clear her collegiate career would continue, scoring eight points early in the third quarter to put the Huskies ahead.

Her fast-break layup stretched the lead to 48-40 and the Huskies controlled the game from there, leading by 59-46 heading into the final quarter.

She added a deep 3 that gave UConn a 62-46 lead and put the game out of reach for Oklahoma — but she kept on scoring anyway, sending a message to any opponent that might seek to stop the Huskies’ pursuit of a championship.

“Everybody at this point of the season is trying to keep winning, to win a national title and keep the season going as long as possible,” Bueckers said. “Everybody has the same goal. Whether your season is ending or your career is ending, you want to stay in one game at a time, one practice at a time, one possession at a time, and just focus on that and maximizing that, and not getting too caught up in the future.”

Bueckers’ best

Bueckers surpassed Tina Charles for fourth place on UConn’s career scoring list.

The playmaking guard from Minnesota with the signature French braids arrived at UConn in 2020 and was the consensus national player of the year as a freshman. But her next two seasons were derailed by injuries. She sat out the entire 2022-23 campaign with a torn ACL.