Paige Bueckers-led UConn Huskies have punched their tickets for the national championship final after they hammered UCLA 85-51 in the Final Four matchup on Friday.
While Bueckers was not at her usual best in this outing, her teammates made up for her slow start. The likes of Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd led the initial charge as she picked up pace later.
One of the highlights of the game happened just before the break when Fudd played out the ball to Bueckers on a fast break. Bueckers was well guarded, so she came up with a touch pass to direct it towards Kaitlyn Chen, who finished a sensational move from UConn.
"It was just instincts," Paige Bueckers said when asked about her touch pass after the game. "Azzi gave me the ball, it was a great pass and I saw almost like three people coming at me. I knew it was going to be a jump ball, so I just wanted to get a hand on it."
Paige Bueckers revealed that she had an eye on Chen, who was also running down the floor with her. So she tried to divert the ball towards her. Hearing Bueckers' reaction, Azzi Fudd was also highly impressed with the play.
Paige Bueckers keen to win the National Championship with UConn
The projected No. 1 pick, Paige Bueckers, dropped 16 points, five rebounds and two assists during her 31-minute stay on the court against UCLA. With this win, the Huskies have booked their tickets for the National Championship game against the defending champions, South Carolina Gamecocks.

She has been sublime for the Huskies throughout the NCAA Tournament this season, guiding UConn to the final on April 6. In the clash against UCLA, Bueckers became registered fourth most points in the NCAA Tournament history, surpassing former UConn star player, Breanna Stewart.
On Friday, she was also honored with the Nancy Lieberman Award for being the best point guard in college basketball. This is the first time she has bagged the award since 2021.
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