Aaliyah Edwards drops 2-word hype as Paige Bueckers' masterclass powers UConn to the Sweet 16 of NCAA

Aaliyah Edwards watched former teammate Paige Bueckers lead UConn to a 91-57 win over South Dakota State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Bueckers riddled the Jackrabbits’ defense for 34 points behind 14-for-21 efficiency, including 3-for-5 from deep. The victory pushed the No. 2 Huskies to a Sweet 16 matchup against No. 3 Oklahoma on Mar. 28.

Edwards reacted to Bueckers’ performance on Instagram:

“And issssss [bucket emoji]”

Aaliyah Edwards reacts to Paige Bueckers' dominant performance against South Dakota State on Monday. [photo: @aaliyahedwards_24/IG]

Aaliyah Edwards played three seasons with Paige Bueckers, so she knows the point guard’s scoring prowess well. In the win against South Dakota State, the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft led UConn to a dominant performance in the second and third quarters. During that stretch, they outscored their opponents 53-22.

Bueckers had 18 points, three assists, one rebound and one steal when the Huskies grabbed a stranglehold of the game. The sizzling performance from Bueckers pushed her team to a 72-36 advantage before the start of the fourth quarter. Edwards watched as her alma mater cruised to the finish line.

Aaliyah Edwards was at the Capital One Arena in Washington to cheer for the Washington Wizards. As a member of the Washington Mystics, she supported her team’s NBA counterpart but could not completely turn off the UConn against South Dakota showdown.

Edwards shared how she accomplished both on Instagram:

“Was multitasking for my huskies”

Edwards attended the Washington Wizards' home game against the Toronto Raptors but watched the UConn-South Dakota State game on her phone. [photo: @aaliyahedwards_24/IG]

While attending the Wizards-Raptors tiff, Edwards had the Huskies-Jackrabbits encounter on her phone. The Wizards lost 112-104, but she got a consolation prize after Paige Bueckers led the Huskies to a dominant win.

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Aaliyah Edwards and Paige Bueckers' last NCAA game together ended in a loss to Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes

Aaliyah Edwards might still feel like she has unfinished business with the UConn Huskies. The last time she suited up for her alma mater, the school lost 71-69 to Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes in the Final Four. Edwards led her team with 17 points, eight rebounds, five steals and three assists while Bueckers added 17 points, four rebounds and three assists.

An offensive foul called on Edwards with four seconds remaining made the loss controversial. UConn alums Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart and Diana Taurasi could not believe the play happened. LeBron James tweeted his disagreement about the call on X (formerly Twitter).

The foul on Aaliyah Edwards gave the Hawkeyes, who had a 70-69 lead, the ball. Caitlin Clark made the first free throw before intentionally missing the second one with three seconds left. The Huskies did not have enough time to even attempt a shot at Iowa.