“A free throw would be pretty ironic.” Red shirt senior Paige Bueckers joked with the media, when asked how she predicts she will score her 2,000th point.
The Minnesota native is six points away from that feat, as the UConn Women’s Basketball team is set to take on the Seton Hall Pirates Sunday afternoon at Gampel Pavilion.
Should the 6-foot guard reach this milestone, she will join 12 other Huskies, including alumni Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart, and Bueckers will be the fastest to do so.
“Right away she got off to a start that set her up for things like this.” Head coach Geno Auriemma said of Bueckers, emphasizing how she achieved National Player of the Year status as a freshman. “To me, what impresses me the most, is she doesn’t take a lot of shots to get to those numbers.”
Standing in the way of a win for Bueckers and her squad is graduate guard Faith Masonius, who averages 17.4 points per game in her fifth-year campaign. A transfer by way of Maryland, Masonius leads her team in points, but not against teams in the Big East conference. Despite an average of 42% from the field, the New Jersey native’s teammate, Jada Eads, leads the Pirates with an average of 20 points per game, when they play against programs in the Big East conference.
“I’m not surprised that she’s had such a huge impact on the team.” Auriemma said when asked about the Pirates and Masonius. “They’re an NCAA tournament team and they’ve got terrific chemistry, and they’ve got two guys that are really hard to play against.”
The last time these two Big East foes faced off against each other was on Feb. 7, 2024, and Seton Hall only scored five points in the first quarter. That set the tone for UConn, and they ended up taking the dub 67-34. In that matchup, Bueckers was third in scoring for the Huskies, with a total of 13 points. Ahead of Bueckers in scoring were Aaliyah Edwards and Ashlynn Shade, with 18 and 17 points, respectively.
In this matchup, additions to the roster, like graduate student Aubrey Griffin, will be a tremendous asset as the Huskies look to stay undefeated in the Big East. Auriemma announced to media personnel that Griffin has the potential to see some time on the court during Sunday’, as she will return for the first time after suffering an ACL tear last season.
“To see what she’s gone through and how much she’s overcame and how much she’s battled it, it means everything to see her have this opportunity and continue what she loves doing.” Bueckers said on the forward.
Tip-off between these two Big East foes is scheduled for 1 p.m. and if fans cannot make it to Gampel Pavilion, they can tune into this Big East bout on SNY.