The No. 3 UConn women's basketball successfully booked their tickets to the next round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament after surviving the challenge of No. 6 Syracuse Orange to the tune of a 72-64 score.
The Orange were led by no other than the high-scoring Dyaisha Fair, who was, without a doubt, the most dangerous offensive weapon of Syracuse entering the second-round showdown against the Huskies. After all, she is third all-time on the Division I's scoring list.
But in the end, it was Bueckers and the Huskies who came out on top in part because they were able to make life tough on the court for Fair.
Paige Bueckers praises Syracuse's Dyaisha Fair
Bueckers had nothing but praises for Fair after the game. Many expected a thrilling shootout between the UConn women's basketball star and Fair, who shot just 6-for-22 from the field for 20 points in the loss to the Huskies after going off for 32 points on a much more efficient 11-for-22 shooting in the first round against the Arizona Wildcats.
“That's one heck of a player. Definitely the number speak for itself, but one of the best scores college basketball has ever seen. A very tough cover. I give Nika a lot of credit for chasing her around the whole entire game. And making things tough for her, we know she's going to hit tough shots,” Bueckers said of Fair during the postgame press conference.
Bueckers also gave an insight into what the game plan was for UConn women's basketball in terms of defending against such a talented scorer like Fair.
“The objective was just to try to limit them and make them as contested as can be without fouling. But the way she keeps the ball and the way she has it on the string, she can shoot the three. She can get to her mid-range. She can finish at the rim, so I mean a great three-level score and she's one of the toughest covers.”
"That's one heck of a player. One of the best scorers college basketball has ever seen"
– Paige Bueckers on Syracuse's Dyaisha Fair pic.twitter.com/C0wFL0iWOk
— UConn on SNY (@SNYUConn) March 26, 2024
When it was all said and done on the court, it was Bueckers who had the glitzier numbers than her Syracuse counterpart, as she led the Huskies with 32 points on 14-for-25 shooting from the floor to go with six assists and four steals plus a block in 40 minutes.
As Bueckers mentioned, Nika Muhl did an outstanding job shadowing Fair. Muhl used up all her five fouls, as the job of containing Fair was never going to be an easy task for the Croatian, While Muhl failed to score on two field goal attempts, she still managed to make an impact offensively with five assists to her name.
UConn (@UConnWBB) defense vs Dyaisha Fair.
Here, Fair looks to be getting a zipper screen but Nika Mühl is sitting on that so Dyaisha does that smart thing and flashes to the corner.
She can't get the shot to go but when she attacks on the reset, bodies swarm = great dropoff pic.twitter.com/EIji4OjI1L— Evin Gualberto (@evin_gual) March 25, 2024
Paige Bueckers continues her unstoppable ways for UConn women's basketball
Bueckers has been on an absolute run dating back to the Big East Tournament. Over the last five UConn women's basketball games, Bueckers has averaged 28.6 points on 54 percent shooting from the floor. Whether she will be able to sustain that kind of form or not in the next game, the Huskies will certainly keep getting her touches.
Which team will UConn face in the Sweet 16 round?
Bueckers and the Huskies will have several days to rest up and get their bodies ready for this coming Friday's matchup against the No. 7 Duke Blue Devils, who just scored a stunning 75-63 upset win in the second round versus the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes on Sunday.
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