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Paige Bueckers Pens Heartfelt Message Too Teammate Qadence Samuels On Socmed 4 Mar 10, 2024; Uncasville, CT, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) and guard Qadence Samuels (4) warm up before the start of the game against the Marquette Golden Eagles at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Paige Bueckers Pens Heartfelt Message Too Teammate Qadence Samuels On Socmed

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Dan Agulto | Last updated Dec 30, 2024 11:54 AM ET

Paige Bueckers has been tugging at heartstrings both on and off the court. The UConn Huskies college basketball player is known for her team-spirit, apart from her fiery performances on the hardwood floor. Quite recently, Bueckers dropped a sweet and adorable birthday wish for her teammate, Qadence Samuels on her Instagram.

Bueckers has been doing quite well this college basketball season, and in her most recent game managed to put up 22 points, grabbing three rebounds and assisting twice. Despite her impressive performance, the Huskies lost the game to the USC Trojans with a tight score of 72-70. Along with Bueckers, Sarah Strong put up 22 points, along with 13 boards, the highest for the team in this category.

“Happy birthday Q. Hope you had a great one,” Bueckers posted on Instagram.

Qadence Samuels has had an okayish season so far, and has been scoring an average of 2.2 points in each game, while grabbing 1.1 rebounds per matchup. In terms of assists, Samuels has been helping 0.1 times in every clash. Meanwhile, Paige Bueckers has been impressing with 20.8 points in every game played, with 4.5 boards and 3.8 assists in each matchup.

Paige Bueckers Was Not Aggressive Enough In USC Trojans Game As Per Maria Conlon

While Paige Bueckers definitely has impressed fans and critics in her current season playing for the UConn Huskies, her recent performance against the USC Trojans was criticized. The Huskies lost to the Trojans with a final score of 72-70, despite her chalking up 22 points.

Paige Bueckers Pens Heartfelt Message Too Teammate Qadence Samuels On Socmed 5 Dec 21, 2024; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) looks to pass the ball against USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) in the first half at XL Center. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images

In reference to her performance against USC, former college basketball star, Maria Conlon had an interesting take. According to Conlon, Bueckers was not aggressive enough, which led to the Huskies losing to the Trojans. Bueckers not being offensive enough during high-tension moments has actually been criticized often this season, and needs to improve soon.

Conlon also compared Bueckers to Diana Taurasi when she dropped her opinion about the former’s aggression on the court. At the same time, Conlon also had immense praise for Sarah Strong who managed to dominate in the last two and a half minutes of the game. Strong went on to chalk up 22 points in the game against the USC Trojans.

LOOK: Paige Bueckers, Azi Fudd Grind Practice During Christmas Break 2 Dec 21, 2024; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) drives the ball against USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) in the first half at XL Center. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images

The freshman forward also managed to grab 13 rebounds, leading the UConn Huskies in this area in that particular game. Hopefully, Paige Bueckers will be able to do more in the last crucial moments of her games after heeding Conlon’s advice.

This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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