Paige Bueckers Eyeing A National Title After Playing At Gampel Pavilion For The Final Time

After the game was over, UConn star Paige Bueckers returned to the court with a microphone in her hand.

It was a similar scene a year ago, when she announced she was coming back to play for the Huskies one last time. This time, it was her chance to thank the fans who supported her during her five seasons at UConn following her final home game at Gampel Pavilion.

They had a lot to celebrate. Bueckers had just matched her career high with 34 points in a 91-57 victory over South Dakota State on Monday night that moved the Huskies into their 31st consecutive Sweet 16 of the women's NCAA Tournament.

"It means everything," Bueckers said. "We started playing here with cardboard cutouts as the fans, so just to have gone through that and then experienced the other side of it, which was amazing. The atmosphere was amazing. You can't even hear timeouts, can't even hear fouls, can't even hear the when the whistle blows just because of how loud they are and how much support they show.

"It's been a dream to play here, a dream to wear this uniform, a dream to play in this environment. As much more times you want this to continue to happen, you just take every single chance you have and never take it for granted."