UConn women’s basketball routs No. 20 Maryland as Paige Bueckers ‘put the team on her back’

A small pink bruise began to form a inch or so down from her right eye. Yet, the battle wound only fueled her when she checked back, leading UConn through a 20-4 run to secure a much-needed moral boost for the team.

“I wanted it to look more black and blue so it can look how it felt,” Bueckers said of her bruise after the game with a smile.

With Bueckers leading the charge, No. 8-ranked UConn defeated No. 20 Maryland Thursday night 80-48. The win not only gets the team back into the win column following Sunday’s loss at NC State, but brings a sigh of relief after losing Azzi Fudd to injury.

Fudd suffered a non-contact knee injury in practice on Tuesday and sat out Thursday’s game. She will undergo testing once the knee comes down from initial swelling. Her absence left UConn with 11 available players against the Terps and more motivation.

Bueckers led all players with 24 points (on 10 of 15 shooting) and a career-high tying six steals in 28 minutes against Maryland. She was followed by Aaliyah Edwards and KK Arnold with 12 points each and 10 points from Ashlynn Shade. Graduate student Aubrey Griffin, who started in place of Fudd, finished with a game-high 13 rebounds and career-high four blocks.

The Huskies’ defense was a complete 180 from its loss to the Wolfpack (92-81). Maryland ended the Thursday’s game with 27 turnovers, resulting in 29 points for UConn. The Huskies held the Terps to a 25 field goal percentage and just 21 second-half points. And according to ESPN, Maryland’s 48 points is its fewest in a single game since losing to UConn 63-48 on Dec. 3, 2012.

“I thought our effort was way way better, our communication was better. We just approached the game with a different, I think, with a different mindset,” Huskies’ head coach Geno Auriemma said. ” … We learned a little bit about, you know, how we got to play what happens when they punch back and what happens when it becomes a little bit of a back and forth.”

UConn started Thursday’s game similar to how it started Sunday’s loss at NC State. Frustrations snowballed and the Huskies’ once-hot start didn’t last. Bueckers got hit in the eye and was forced to spend a few minutes on the bench as UConn’s offense began to collapse.

Maryland tied the game less than a minute into the second quarter after the Huskies ended the first quarter with four-minute-plus scoring drought. UConn was again stagnant on defensive as rebounds weren’t fought over and instead tipped into the hands of Maryland players, giving them second-chance opportunities. At halftime, the Terps had outscored in second-chance points 10-3.

But with Bueckers back on the floor, things began to change. The Huskies re-centered their focus and, unlike their loss in Raleigh, were able to turn things around.

“I thought I did a bad job leading last weekend just in terms of the intensity we need to play with, the urgency we need to play with,” Bueckers said. “… (We need to) make sure we’re getting on everybody to uphold the standard in which we have and it makes you even want to do it more and be responsible for it because nobody listens to somebody who doesn’t do it themselves. So just being able to hold myself accountable first.”

The Huskies went 5 of 10 from the floor to start the game but were just 4 of 13 after that with only three field goals in the second quarter’s first five minutes.

Bueckers got called for a technical foul after getting tangled up with Maryland’s Shyanne Sellers. Sellers made both free throws and it was if something clicked in Bueckers because for the next five minutes she was the most fierce and aggressive player on the floor.

“She became that lightning rod that just started the whole thing,” Auriemma said. “… She’s an interesting kid. She attracts hits. She gets hit a lot. But it’s never bothered her. It’s never slowed her down. It’s never made her change. If anything, she wants to play so bad that I think that whenever there’s an incident like that she comes back maybe even more determined.”

She got physical on defense, poking out loose balls and running up quick in transition. Bueckers fought her way through the lane again and again. She drew fouls and bounced back up after every bump. Bueckers scored seven straight points. Ten of her game-high 14 halftime points came in the second quarter.

“Paige did what All-Americans do, she put the team on her back and made play after play,” Maryland’s head coach Brenda Frese said.

And the energy was contagious.

Shade drove into the lane and drew a foul. She made the 3-point play and Bueckers followed with one of her own. Arnold picked up pace and followed Buekers with five steals and fiva assists.

UConn ended the first half on a 20-4 run across the last five minutes, outscoring Maryland 28-16 in the second and leading by as many as 15. The Terps had more turnovers (12) than they had made baskets (nine).

The Huskies upped their lead to 21 four minutes into the third and Maryland called timeout. Bueckers blocked a shot on defense and turned to the student section and smirked.

“I just think we became a little bit better team today,” Auriemma said.