Paige Bueckers reflects on UConn's special season after falling short in Final Four

UConn fell just short of achieving its ultimate goal, losing to Caitlin Clark and Iowa 71-69 in the Final Four on Friday night.

Husky star Paige Bueckers — who has already decided to return to school next season — scored 17 points in the loss. She reflected on the journey it took to get here and to battle back after many counted UConn out this season.

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“The only thing you can really feel right now is the sting of the loss,” Bueckers said postgame. “There’s going to be tears regardless at the end of the season just because it’s my last time playing with these guys. It takes a while to process after the season, win or loss, the whole journey of it all. But you just, for this year especially, from my perspective, you just appreciate it as it goes along, just being on this team.

“Everybody saw the heart, the joy, the passion that we played with. We just love each other and we enjoy being around each other. And this season meant everything to us, against all odds. Nobody thought we would be here. All people posted about us was the worst ranking in 20 years, the worst start in 20 years, the worst seeding in the tournament in 20 years. And here we are at the Final Four.”

For Bueckers personally, she was sidelined for the last two UConn appearances in the tournament. Finally getting her opportunity this season and it came to an end on a play where the Huskies were called for an offensive foul.

Trailing by one point with under 10 seconds left in the game, the Huskies ran a play to get Bueckers open and teammate Aaliyah Edwards was called for an illegal screen. The play gave the ball back to Iowa, who ran out the clock, punching its ticket to face South Carolina in the title game.

“It’s not the ending that we wanted,” Bueckers continued. “But just to look back and — it’s hard right now, of course, because all you’re thinking about is the loss — but this is relationships and memories we’ll have for the rest of our life. And I know we’re proud of being here. Just the standard at UConn is national championships, so it’s always disappointing. But I know we’ll reflect after this and just get better from here.”