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Paige Bueckers Assesses Her Assertiveness After Low Scoring Output in UConn Wins

UConn Huskies superstar Paige Bueckers discussed how assertive she has been on offense so far this season.
Grant Young|
Dec 3, 2024; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) returns the ball against the Holy Cross Crusaders in the second half at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Dec 3, 2024; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) returns the ball against the Holy Cross Crusaders in the second half at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The UConn Huskies women's basketball team hasn't needed an extraordinary offensive output from star player Paige Bueckers to get off to a perfect 8-0 start in the 2024-25 NCAA regular season.

While Bueckers' 18.9 points per game is still extremely solid and leads the Huskies by over 2.5 points (Sarah Strong's 16.3 points per game is second-most on the team), many would have assumed Bueckers would be firmly among the country's top scorers at this point, averaging somewhere in the mid-20s; especially considering that UConn hasn't faced too difficult of a schedule.

However, Bueckers shared why this is a testament to her team's success rather than her individual when speaking with the media on December 10.

"I think I've done well. Again, it's all about reading what the game is giving," Bueckers of her scoring, per Avery Becker. "Last game, we played a tremendous team game, and I scored 8 points [on] 2 for 11 from the field.

Bueckers also had just 11 points in UConn's December 3 game against Holy Cross.

"But that's what UConn is all about," Bueckers added. "When somebody has a bad game, it's anybody's night on any given night. So not forcing it, just continuing to read what the defense is giving me, and... play within the offense, play within the action, get myself [going] that way. But when it's time to be assertive and go create the action myself, I think I've had a pretty good read at that.

"So, I don't know. Still learning, still growing, still getting better," Bueckers concluded.

Given how gifted Bueckers is on the offensive end, she's overdue for a monster game. Perhaps it will come against the No. 8 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Thursday.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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