UConn star Paige Bueckers buys 1,500 tickets for fans as thank you in farewell game: 'A dream to play here'

UConn hoops prima Paige Bueckers wanted to convey her supporters 1 last clip earlier playing her last collegiate crippled astatine Gampel Pavilion. 

Bueckers matched her career-high of 34 points to assistance the Huskies beforehand to their 31st Sweet 16 quality with a blowout triumph implicit South Dakota State successful the women’s NCAA Tournament connected Monday. 

UConn defender Paige Bueckers addresses fans aft her past crippled astatine Gampel Pavilion astatine the extremity of a second-round crippled against South Dakota State successful the NCAA tournament, Monday, March 24, 2025, successful Storrs, Connecticut. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

The fifth-year elder received a lasting ovation from the sellout assemblage arsenic she came disconnected the tribunal conscionable minutes earlier the extremity of her last location game. 

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"It means everything," Bueckers said. "We started playing present with cardboard cutouts arsenic the fans, truthful conscionable to person gone done that and past experienced the different broadside of it, which was amazing. The ambiance was amazing. You can’t adjacent perceive timeouts, can’t adjacent perceive fouls, can’t adjacent perceive erstwhile the whistle blows conscionable due to the fact that of however large they are and however overmuch enactment they show.

"It’s been a imagination to play here, a imagination to deterioration this uniform, a imagination to play successful this environment. As overmuch much times you privation this to proceed to happen, you conscionable instrumentality each azygous accidental you person and ne'er instrumentality it for granted."

But it was a benignant motion from Bueckers that contributed to that ambiance connected Monday night. 

UConn Huskies defender Paige Bueckers exits the level aft defeating the South Dakota State Jackrabbits astatine Harry A. Gampel Pavilion connected March 24, 2025. (David Butler II-Imagn Images)

UCONN STAR PAIGE BUECKERS SHINES IN FAREWELL HOME GAME AS HUSKIES VIE FOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

CT Insider reported that Bueckers bought 1,500 tickets and gave them distant to fans arsenic a mode to convey them for their support. 

"They person fixed truthful overmuch to maine and fixed truthful overmuch to the team, the support," she said, via the outlet. "We wouldn’t beryllium wherever we are without them. They are the champion supporters successful the country. You spot that successful the situation similar tonight. They are my friends. They are my peers. They are the radical I spell to people with.

"I was conscionable trying to springiness backmost arsenic overmuch arsenic they springiness us, due to the fact that it means everything. To beryllium capable to enactment them and marque it truthful our past location crippled this twelvemonth was a large environment, it was chill to do."

UConn defender Paige Bueckers drives to the handbasket against South Dakota State during the NCAA tournament, Monday, March 24, 2025, successful Storrs, Connecticut. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

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UConn moved connected to look Oklahoma successful the Sweet 16 connected Saturday successful Spokane, Washington, wherever Bueckers volition look to triumph the nationalist title earlier moving connected to the WNBA Draft arsenic the expected No. 1 wide pick. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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