The UConn Huskies hosted the Jackson State Tigers in the first round of the NCAA tournament. It was the first time in 720 days that Paige Bueckers would get to play in the tournament with her team. They also got Aaliyah Edwards back after missing the last two games due to injury.
A win for the Tigers would be their first-ever NCAA tournament win and a win for the Huskies would be their 31st straight win in the first round despite missing six players due to injury.
A win would also be a nice present for head coach Geno Auriemma, who was celebrating his 70th birthday.
How It Started
Jackson State began the game with two quick buckets before UConn took off. They went on a 17-2 run and forced six turnovers.
The magic number seemed to be eight as Bueckers scored eight points in the first quarter, the Huskies scored eight points off of six Tiger turnovers, and the Tigers were held to just eight total first-quarter points,
UConn's defense kept the Tigers from scoring for seven minutes until the 1:09 mark. Jackson State was able to get their offense going in the second quarter and cut into the lead, but they were unable to generate stops on the defensive end.
One of the game's biggest highlights was a rare goaltend that was called on Miya Crump as she went up to try and block Bueckers' layup. Goaltending in women's basketball is almost unheard of.
The third quarter was the Ashlyn Shade show. After scoring just nine points in the first half, she scored 14 points in the third quarter. She set a new career high with 26 points and grabbed six rebounds. She set a record for the most points by a UConn player in their NCAA tournament debut.
One of the things Jackson State did their damage at was at the free throw line. They attacked the paint and drew 15 personal fouls. Four of those fouls went against Edwards, and the Tigers made 16 out of 22 free throws.
Despite their success in getting to the free-throw line, the Tigers could not stop the Huskies from getting to the lane nor could they keep them off the glass. The Huskies won 86-64 and will play the winner of the Syracuse-Arizona game.
Edwards finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and a steal. Despite getting into foul trouble, she did not miss a beat.
Paige is Back
Bueckers finished with 28 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Along with Edwards, this was Bueckers' first double-double in the NCAA Tournament.
She became the fourth UConn player in the last 25 years to record multiple NCAA Tournament games with at least 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists. She is in elite company with Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, and Gabby Williams.
It is safe to say that March Madness missed Paige Bueckers, and now she is officially back.
Photo: @UConnWBB/X
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