Paige Bueckers. David Butler II-Imagn Images

Paige Bueckers Reveals She 'Blacked Out' During UConn's Sweet 16 Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Chris Phelps | Last updated Mar 29, 2025 10:24 PM ET

For the fourth time in her college basketball career, Paige Bueckers is heading to the Elite Eight.

Bueckers and No. 2 seed UConn Huskies continued their dominant NCAA Tournament run with an 82-59 win over No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners in the Sweet 16.

Bueckers put on a show against Oklahoma, tallying a career-best 40 points on 16-of-27 shooting and 6-of-8 from distance, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks.

With the Huskies up 13 in the fourth quarter, Bueckers sealed the deal by going on a personal 19-5 run, taking the Sooners completely out of the game. In fact, 29 of her 40 points came in the second half.

After the win, Bueckers spoke to SNY UConn sideline reporter Chelsea Sherrod for an interview. According to Sherrod, Bueckers told her that she had "blacked out" during her 19-point fourth-quarter run but remained excited about the performance.

"Paige just told me that she 'blacked out' in the 4th quarter when she scored 19 points in a row for UConn lol," Sherrod wrote on X. "Called it 'euphoric.'"

Paige just told me that she “blacked out” in the 4th quarter when she scored 19 points in a row for UConn lol. Called it “euphoric”
— C. (@ChelseaSherrod) March 30, 2025

Bueckers and UConn certainly looked like a different team in the first half, taking a 36-32 deficit into halftime. But the second half was a much different story, and Bueckers credits "the next play mentality" for the halftime turnaround.

Bueckers also becomes the only UConn women's basketball player to score 40 points in a game. Now, she will continue to look for her first national championship.

UConn will be back in action on Monday, facing No. 1 seed USC Trojans without JuJu Watkins in the Elite Eight.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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