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

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UConn basketball star Paige Bueckers wanted to thank her supporters one final time before playing her final collegiate game at Gampel Pavilion. 

Bueckers matched her career-high of 34 points to help the Huskies advance to their 31st Sweet 16 appearance with a blowout win over South Dakota State in the women’s NCAA Tournament on Monday. 

UConn guard Paige Bueckers addresses fans after her last game at Gampel Pavilion at the end of a second-round game against South Dakota State in the NCAA tournament, Monday, March 24, 2025, in Storrs, Connecticut. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

The fifth-year senior received a standing ovation from the sellout crowd as she came off the court just minutes before the end of her final home game. 

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"It means everything," Bueckers said. "We started playing here with cardboard cutouts as the fans, so just to have gone through that and then experienced the other side of it, which was amazing. The atmosphere was amazing. You can’t even hear timeouts, can’t even hear fouls, can’t even hear when the whistle blows just because of how loud they are and how much support they show.

"It’s been a dream to play here, a dream to wear this uniform, a dream to play in this environment. As much more times you want this to continue to happen, you just take every single chance you have and never take it for granted."

But it was a kind gesture from Bueckers that contributed to that atmosphere on Monday night. 

UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers exits the floor after defeating the South Dakota State Jackrabbits at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion on March 24, 2025. (David Butler II-Imagn