Geno Auriemma cuts rusty Paige Bueckers some slack after UConn dismantles St John's in New York

UConn star Paige Bueckers returned to the lineup on Wednesday after sitting out for a over week with a knee sprain. Bueckers looked a bit rusty early on but eventually found a groove as she finished with 12 points and five rebounds in the Huskies' 71-45 win over St. John's in Queens.

The 6-foot guard struggled in the first half, scoring six points on 1-of-4 shooting. In the halftime interview with SNY, UConn coach Geno Auriemma commented that Bueckers was struggling to stay in constant motion on the offensive end, something that is key to her game.

When SNY's Chelsea Sherrod caught up with Auriemma after the final buzzer, she asked the coach how he felt Paige Bueckers played overall in her return to action.

"I think it got better as the game got on," Auriemma said. "You know, when you miss a little bit of time, even if it's just a week, it takes a little bit of time to get back in the game shape, get your win back. So I thought in the second half it was much, much better."

Bueckers further scored six points in the second half on improved 3-of-3 shooting. The reigning Big East Player of the Year suffered a left knee sprain in the Huskies' game against Villanova on Jan. 5.

Paige Bueckers shares excitement on first game back after injury

The No. 6 UConn Huskies were without their star player Paige Bueckers for the past two games. The team managed to go 2-0 in her absence, thanks to Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong's performances.

But Wednesday night, Buekcers returned to the starting five as the Huskies traveled to New York to take on the St. John's Red Storm. In her return, she recorded 12 points, five rebounds and two steals in the team's sixth straight win.

Speaking with SNY after the game, the Minnesota native shared her thrill of being back on the court.

"Oh, good. Coming back, you just want to get your feet wet a little bit, get used to playing games, to going up and down, get used to the physicality of it," she said.

"First half, not as great. Second half, more aggressive. It's just great for me to be back on the court on the field."

Despite missing the last two games, Paige Bueckers has led the Huskies in scoring this season, averaging 19.4 points per game. Freshman Sarah Strong is following Bueckers with 16.6 ppg.