STORRS, Conn. (AP) – Paige Bueckers scored 31 points, including his team’s 13 finals, to lead No. 2 UConn to a 63-59 overtime victory on Monday over South Carolina, which is at the top of the ranking.
The freshman scored all nine Huskies points in overtime, including a basket of 3 that bounced off the back of the rim before falling to give the Huskies a four-point margin with 10 seconds remaining. The freshman phenomenon has now scored at least 30 points in three consecutive games, marking the first time the feat was performed by a Husky.
Gamecocks’ Zia Cooke and Destanni Henderson missed 3 points in the final seconds.
The thriller came just hours after Gamecocks and Huskies won the top two spots in the Associated Press women’s college basketball poll.
Aliyah Boston had 17 points and 15 rebounds for South Carolina (15-2), which overcame a deficit of seven points in the fourth period.
A tray of Aubrey Griffin had given the Huskies a 50-43 lead with just over 8 minutes left, before South Carolina increased their defense and went on to an 11-0 run.
Victaria Saxton’s layup on Nelson-Ododa gave the Gamecocks a 52-50 lead, and the Boston jump extended that to 54-50 with just under two and a half minutes to play.
But Bueckers hit two straight jumpers to tie the game in 54 with 46 seconds remaining in the regulation.
Henderson missed a falling jump with four seconds remaining and the Gamecocks lost three chances to put the winner back.
South Carolina had its 12-game winning streak broken.
BIG PICTURE
UConn: Bueckers has 142 points in their last five games and 93 in the last three, scoring 30 or better in each. UConn improved to 7-1 of all time in No. 1 vs. No. 2 when playing as the second team.
NEXT
South Carolina: The Gamecocks, who have played four games in the last five, host Missouri on Thursday night.
UConn: The Huskies present Seton Hall on Wednesday night.