After a week-long break following their tough loss to USC, UConn returned to their winning ways. The Huskies were eager to bounce back from their first home loss of the season, and they did so in dominant fashion, securing a 67-41 victory against Providence. Paige Bueckers led the charge for UConn but also found herself in the spotlight for a heated exchange with a referee over a controversial call.

It all went down in the third quarter when Paige Bueckers found herself visibly frustrated after a controversial call by the referee. With 8:17 left on the clock, the action was happening near Providence’s basket. Bueckers had the ball in her hands when Providence guard Grace Efosa made a bold move, charging toward her.

Efosa managed to steal the ball, but it rolled out of bounds. Bueckers, expecting the possession to be awarded to UConn due to Efosa’s last touch, was stunned when the referee gave the ball to Providence for an offensive rebound.  The decision clearly caught Bueckers off guard, and her frustration was evident as she confronted the referee, unable to hide her disappointment. This all unfolded while UConn was already comfortably ahead by 22 points.

After the game, a video surfaced that clearly showed Efosa’s hands making contact with the ball just before it crossed the sideline. The account that shared the clip captioned the post, “Genuine conversations with referees are needed sometimes.”

On top of that, Bueckers was called for a personal foul during the game. Although she led the team in scoring, her performance was strongest in the early part of the game.

Paige Bueckers leads UConn to victory despite slow second half

The 23-year-old guard finished as the game’s top scorer with 23 points. Bueckers helped UConn surge early with eight points during a 15-0 run that set the tone. By the 6:36 mark of the first quarter, UConn had its first double-digit lead, which they maintained for the rest of the game. However, Bueckers scored 19 of her 23 points in the first half, managing only four more in the second half.

She only took four shots from beyond the arc, even though head coach Geno Auriemma had been urging the team to take more high-quality shots. Unfortunately, she made just one of those attempts, finishing with a 25% shooting rate from deep. he No. 1 projected pick for the 2025 WNBA draft is currently averaging 20.8 points per game, leading UConn in scoring.

Nevertheless, a positive sign for Bueckers was to have her best friend and teammate, Azzi Fudd, back in the starting lineup, even though Fudd’s contribution was limited to just 8 points. Auriemma had previously expressed concerns about the pressure on Bueckers in certain games, which can negatively impact her performance. However, with Fudd back, along with other juniors and freshmen stepping up, UConn could be on track to build another long unbeaten streak. Their next challenge comes against Marquette on the first day of 2025.