Bueckers Takes Down Marquette
The Story: Paige Bueckers continues to make a case to be the national player of the year as she scored 26 points and had five assists in the No. 8-ranked UConn women’s 85-59 win at Marquette last night.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The Huskies won their 13th straight game behind another marvelous performance from Bueckers. There was a slight scare early on when Bueckers went to the bench after taking a charge, but after a couple minutes of horror, she returned to the game and showed no ill effects. In fact,
• UConn dominated everywhere as freshman Ashlyn Shade scored 15 points, and Nika Muhl and KK Arnold — playing 30 minutes from her hometown — scored 13. Aaliyah Edwards finished with 10 points, rounding out the UConn players to reach double figures in scoring.
• UConn attacked Marquette, scoring 24 points off turnovers and holding an 38-16 edge on points in the paint.
SECOND TO NONE: Bueckers remains a marvel. She’s averaging 19.4 points per game and shooting a sizzling 56 percent, which is unheard of from a point guard. She would be the leading national player of the year candidate if it wasn’t for Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, who is one of the greatest scorers in women’s basketball history and is averaging 31.7 points per game this year.
• Here’s the question: Clark is great, but we’re confident that many coaches would take Bueckers’ playmaking and scoring combo. Considering UConn’s injuries, Bueckers has to be the leader in the clubhouse.
• For what it’s worth, Bueckers did her best impression of Clark by knocking down a shot from center court as the first half expired.
WHAT DID GENO SAY? “You watch [Bueckers] every day and it’s like a broken record. We say the same things all the time — the impact she has on the game, her clutch buckets, the defense that she provides for us. We’re a different team [because of her]. All the things that we do kind of revolve around her. She kind of makes the whole thing work. She makes the post players better. She makes the other guards better. We’re good for a reason.”
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: UConn was the first team to win on the boards against Marquette this year, holding a surprising 38-28 advantage. UConn’s shooting showed up on the road as it went 11-for-17 from behind the arc.
DUCHARME DONE: Another week, another season-ending injury. Caroline Ducharme, who has not played since November because of a lingering neck injury, will shut it down and try to be ready for the start of next season.
• UConn absurdly has five players out with season-ending injuries: Ducharme, Azzi Fudd, Ayana Patterson, Aubrey Griffin and Jana El Alfy. That’s two guards, two forwards and a center. We reckon they could be a top-25 team.
JACKSON SIGHTING: Playing in Milwaukee brought out Bucks guard Andre Jackson, who took in the game from behind the Huskies’ bench.
• As far as other Milwaukee ties, Griffin’s father, Adrian, was fired after just 43 games as the Bucks’ head coach despite going 30-13 in his first season. It’s been a tough few weeks for the Griffin family.
UP NEXT: The Huskies will play at Gampel Pavilion for the first time in a month as they host former rival and No. 15 Notre Dame in a nationally televised prime time game — on Fox, no less — on Saturday.
— John Silver
Morning Reads
• Jim Mora hired Eddie Hernon as the football team's general manager. What does a general manager do at a college program, you may ask? We don't have the answers, but Hernon's background is in scouting.
• Former UConn standout and Sabres center Tage Thompson saw a familiar face behind the Ducks' bench last night: His father, Brent, who is one of Anaheim's assistant coaches.
Top photo: Paige Bueckers dribbles in the Huskies’ game against Dayton. (Courtesy of UConn athletics)
