Paige Bueckers and the No. 2 UConn women’s basketball team stomped into the Sweet 16 with a 91-57 win over No. 10 South Dakota State in the second round of Women’s March Madness on Monday night.
Head coach Geno Auriemma and UConn are in the Sweet 16 for the fifth consecutive season and 32nd time overall. Bueckers scored 34 points, matching her career-high and recording her second 30-point March Madness performance. The fifth-year senior has led the Huskies to the Final Four three times — 2021, 2022, 2024 — and is hungry to do it again. UConn will play Oklahoma on Friday in the Sweet 16.
‘We have confidence,’ Bueckers said on the ESPN broadcast after the game.’ A lot of teams are playing for a national title and we know that, so we just have to keep chipping away and giving the best versions of ourselves every day.’
Auriemma said the Huskies have just gotten better over the last month and a half, buliding more more trust and believing in each other more.
‘Whenever we need something, somebody steps up and does it,’ he said. ‘We’re not just the Paige Bueckers show, even though tonight we were.’
USA TODAY Sports brought you live updates, scores, highlights and analysis throughout the game. Check it out.
Paige Bueckers powers UConn women’s basketball to Sweet 16
Paige Bueckers and UConn pulled out a nearly 40-point win against South Dakota State. Bueckers finished with 34 points, Sarah Strong has 15 and Azzi Fudd has 17.
‘On behalf of our seniors, our whole entire team, I’ve had the time of my life here,’ Bueckers told the crowd at Gampel Pavilion after the win. ‘It’s been five years I dreamt of as a kid … Thank you for this season, for everything … I love you, this will always be my home. We’d love to see you in spokane, but thank you for everything.’
Bueckers said the emotions of playing her last UConn home game haven’t hit her yet.
‘I almost got emotional before the game today,’ she said postgame on the ESPN broadcast. ‘I’m just extremely grateful for the teams, this year, last year, the whole entire five years … the injuries, I’m just grateful for it all. The support here is second to none … it’s just an honor to play here.’
Paige Bueckers points today
Paige Bueckers went off against SDSU. She scored 34 points — matching her career-high — on 14-of-21 shooting, including 3-of-5 from 3. She ignited the Huskies in the first quarter, scoring 10 straight.
Who does UConn women’s basketball play next in Sweet 16?
The Huskies will play Oklahoma on Saturday in the Spokane Regional of the Sweet 16.
What Paige Bueckers said after UConn’s win to get to Sweet 16
Paige: ‘Emotions haven’t hit me in a wave yet. I almost got emotional before the game today. … I’m just extremely grateful for the teams, this year, last year, the whole entire five years… the injuries, I’m just grateful for it all. the support here is second to none… its just an honor to play here.
Paige Bueckers career high in points
Paige Bueckers’ career-high in 34 points, which she has achieved twice: Tonight against South Dakota State and in November 2021 against Arkansas.
Sarah Strong stats
UConn freshman forward Sarah Strong recorded 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks against SDSU. Entering Monday, she averaged 16.1 points per game to go along with 3.5 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.7 blocks per game.
UConn women’s basketball national championships
In case you need a reminder, Geno Auriemma is a winner. The 2025 NCAA women’s tournament is a festive time in college basketball and one of the game’s greatest celebrated a birthday this week. Auriemma, head coach of No. 2 UConn in his 40th season, turned 71.
The Huskies’ X account posted a photo with the 11-time national champion coach flexing his rings. Auriemma, who has been at the helm since 1985, won his first national title in 1995 and last won one in 2016.
How tall is Paige Bueckers?
The UConn guard is 6 feet tall.
What year in college is Paige Bueckers?
She is a fifth-year senior.
South Dakota State Jackrabbits women’s basketball roster
The Jackrabbits are led by head coach Aaron Johnston, junior forward Brooklyn Meyer and senior point guard Paige Meyer. Johnston has been at the helm since 1999. Here is the full Jackrabbits’ roster.
UConn vs. SDSU score at halftime
After a bit of a slow start in the first quarter, the Huskies surged to a 43-28 halftime lead. Paige Bueckers recorded 21 points, Azzi Fudd had six and Sarah Strong had 11 through two periods. Paige Meyer led South Dakota State scorers with eight points.
Where is UConn women’s basketball game today?
UConn vs. SDSU is being played at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn.
How old is Paige Bueckers?
She is 23 years old.
Azzi Fudd flips in reverse layup
UConn’s Azzi Fudd turned in a nice reverse layup with about 5:27 left in the first half. She has six points so far.
UConn women’s basketball score after 1Q
Paige Bueckers and the Huskies trailed early before Bueckers went on her on mini-run, giving UConn a 19-14 lead at the end of the first quarter. Bueckers had 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting in the opening frame.
Paige Bueckers gets UConn lead vs. SDSU
UConn star Paige Bueckers made a pair of free throws with less than 3 minutes left in the first quarter for her first points of the game against South Dakota State. Bueckers went on to score 10 straight points for the Huskies to give them their first lead of the game.
UConn vs. SDSU game is underway
South Dakota State’s Madison Mathiowetz opened the scoring with a pair of 3-pointers bookending a layup by UConn’s Sarah Strong. Azzi Fudd has chipped in 4 points early.
What time is UConn women’s basketball game today?
The game tipped off at 8 p.m. ET.
Watch UConn women’s basketball today
TV channel: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN app, Fubo
Is Paige Bueckers entering WNBA draft?
The 2025 WNBA draft isn’t called the Paige Bueckers sweepstakes for nothing. Bueckers burst onto the scene in 2021 with a breakout freshman campaign that earned her AP Player of the Year and Naismith College Player of the Year honors. Although a string of injuries forced Bueckers to miss significant time, including the entire 2022-23 season with an ACL tear, the fifth-year senior guard has returned to form and is looking to lead the Huskies to the Final Four for the fourth time in her career. Bueckers is currently UConn women’s basketball’s sixth all-time leading scorer with 2,301 points and is widely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick of the draft. — Cydney Henderson
UConn vs. South Dakota prediction
South Dakota State hasn’t lost a game in three months, but that changes when it faces the Huskies, who take care of business and head to the Sweet 16. UConn 80, South Dakota State 56. — Austin Curtright
Paige Bueckers stats
Azzi Fudd stats
Perhaps no WNBA draft prospect had a better day than UConn Huskies guard Azzi Fudd. Fudd, who has yet to officially declare for the 2025 draft, made an emphatic case to move up the draft board into the first round as the No. 2 seed Huskies routed the No. 15 seed Arkansas State Red Wolves in a lopsided 103-34 win.
By halftime, Fudd already had a mind-blowing 21 points, seven assists, five steals and two blocks. She ended her day with 27 points, seven assists, six steals and two blocks, leading the charge for a Huskies team with three players who scored 20 or more points, including star freshman forward Sarah Strong. — Jenna Ortiz
Jana El Alfy is fasting during Ramadan, and Paige Bueckers is cooking her breakfast
It turns out the saying, ‘Let Paige Bueckers cook,’ has an entirely different meaning during March Madness. The UConn women’s basketball star has taken a significant responsibility to assist a teammate off the court during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Bueckers cooks breakfast for teammate Jana El Alfy in the mornings while El Alfy, who is from Cairo, Egypt, fasts during the 2025 women’s NCAA Tournament. — Ehsan Kassim
UConn women’s basketball stats
The Huskies are the ninth-highest scoring offense in the country at 81.5 points per game. They shoot 51.09% from the floor, best in the country, and 38% from 3, fifth-best in the country.