Paige Bueckers exploded for 29 of her career-high 40 points in the second half as No. 2-seeded UConn dominated the final 20 minutes to blow out No. 3 Oklahoma 82-59 in Saturday’s Spokane Region 4 Sweet 16 matchup in Spokane, Wash.
Bueckers’ 40 points also set the UConn program record for the most in an NCAA Tournament game. The win sends UConn to a third straight Elite Eight, where the Huskies will face No. 1 Southern California.
The Huskies (34-3) went on a 16-4 run coming out of intermission, flipping a four-point deficit into an eight-point lead in less than five minutes. Bueckers bookended the spurt with a pair of jump shots, including a 3-pointer right out of the break that was set up by a Jana El Alfy offensive board and Azzi Fudd assist.
The rebound was one of nine for El Alfy, and Fudd’s assist was one of five. Bueckers, meanwhile, kick-started a stellar second half for herself.
She shot 12-of-16 from the floor after halftime, including 5-of-6 from 3-point distance. Bueckers finished 6-of-8 from long range for the game and 16-of-27 from the field overall.
The All-American also grabbed six rebounds, swiped three steals and blocked a pair of shots. Bueckers’ new career-high comes one game after she matched her previous personal best of 34 points in UConn’s second-round win over South Dakota State.
Oklahoma (27-8) — which built its first-half lead successfully playing from inside-out, scoring 18 points in the paint by halftime, then getting nine of Payton Verhulst’s 13 first-half points on 3-pointers — had no answers in the second 20 minutes.
The Sooners shot just 7 of 28 in the second half and committed 10 turnovers, which UConn turned into 10 points.
After coughing up nine first-half turnovers, the Huskies committed only one in the second half.
Ashlynn Shade had 12 points for UConn, Fudd added 10 points and Sarah Strong recorded 11 points and 11 rebounds despite shooting only 4 of 13 from the floor.
Verhulst led Oklahoma with 16 points, while Raegan Beers recorded 10 points and 10 boards.
–Field Level Media
