Following a challenging 92-81 loss to NC State on Nov. 12, UConn women's basketball star Paige Bueckers opened up about the Huskies' performance and her leadership role in a post-game media session. The No. 2-ranked UConn Huskies, still reeling from a stunning defeat, saw Bueckers, in her second game back from a year-long hiatus due to ACL surgery, scoring an impressive 27 points in 31 minutes.

Head coach Geno Auriemma, initially planning a gradual reintroduction for Bueckers, found himself relying heavily on her skills during Sunday's game. Despite her offensive prowess, the focus post-game was on the team's defensive struggles.

“Defense is a will,” Bueckers said, via the Hartford Courant. “You have to want to do it. You have to embrace that. You can have slow feet but if you have a big heart, that makes up for it. We have the ability to change that and be better at practice and demand it out of ourselves first.

“Once we start doing it – once I start doing it – us older guys can hold each other accountable and hold everyone else on the team accountable. It has to start with us. It has to start with me. Really, it’s just the will to want to defend and keep guys in front of us and make sure if somebody does get beat, we have their back. Just like they would have ours.”

This loss marks a rare occasion for the Huskies, who haven't conceded this many points since their 2013 triple-overtime loss to Notre Dame. The game's intensity was further heightened by the roaring crowd of 5,500 NC State fans at Reynolds Coliseum, which NC State coach Wes Moore described as “deafening.”

UConn's troubles escalated in the second quarter. Despite leading by eight points twice, they couldn't extend their lead, eventually heading into halftime with a slender one-point advantage. However, the third quarter's opening minutes saw the game slipping away from the Huskies, with NC State's Saniya Rivers scoring eight of her total 33 points in this critical period.

While UConn's freshman Qadence Samuels showed resilience, shooting 4 of 8 three-pointers for 14 points, the rest of the team, including veterans like Aubrey Griffin and Caroline Ducharme, struggled to make an impact. Azzi Fudd, who had scored 32 points against NC State last season, was limited to nine points.

Paige Bueckers vows UConn defensive turnaround

Paige Bueckers in the center court, as if spotlighted, in her UConn women’s basketball jersey. The background/scene should be a basketball game with fans in the stands

The Huskies' defense faltered, with Nika Muhl fouling out and several key players accumulating four fouls each. Geno Auriemma reflected on this, pointing out the lack of discipline and positioning as the primary reasons for the frequent fouls.

“That’s on us as coaches to address that,” Auriemma said. “Any time you foul, you’re undisciplined and you’re in the wrong position. It can’t be anything else. Today that’s who we were and that’s why it happened.”

Looking ahead, the Huskies face a challenging matchup against No. 20 Maryland. Paige Bueckers' resolve to lead and improve the team's defensive efforts will be crucial as they seek to bounce back from this setback. Auriemma sees the loss as a learning opportunity, saying, “Losses give you an opportunity to self-criticize, self-evaluate, and realize what is it that we have to get way, way better at.”

“They (NC State) did a really good job of attacking us and getting to the foul line,” Bueckers said. “They shot like 17 more free throws than we did, based off of aggression. But it starts with me, being able to set that tone defensively. Keeping guys in front, making sure I’m in the gap so they can’t split us and get to the basket easily.”