As Paige Bueckers sprinted off the court at halftime, she had one thing on her mind: avoiding an interview. The UConn star, who scored just 12 points (3-of-12 from the field) but added 10 assists and seven boards in a dominant first-half performance, clearly had no time for sideline chats. With the Huskies leading 45-23 against South Carolina—holding the Gamecocks to just nine second-quarter points—Bueckers’ focus was entirely on finishing the job. After all, no lead is ever safe in Columbia, especially against a team with a 71-game home winning streak.
That was until Sunday, when Bueckers and her teammates could finally celebrate their 87-58 blowout over the No. 4-ranked Gamecocks. However, they still had another half to play and an interview to conduct. As ESPN’s Holly Rowe attempted to flag Bueckers down for her obligatory sideline interview, Bueckers zoomed right past her, showing no interest in stopping. This fleeting moment captured a rarely seen glimpse of Bueckers on TV; in the clip below, her realization and absolute disdain—not for Rowe, but for the interview itself—are evident as she made no attempt to hide her feelings.
LMAOO PAIGE 😭😭😭 it’s even funnier from this angle, she didn’t even try to hide it pic.twitter.com/avTxCE0KfQ
— CFP (@sportsfan6718) February 17, 2025
Yet, once the interview began, Bueckers flipped the switch. “It’s been an emphasis in practice,” she told Rowe when asked about her strong first half. “We feel like in a lot of these big games, we’ve played on our heels; we wanted to play on our feet today, throw the first punch. We knew it was going to be a rough environment — a great environment for women’s basketball. We just came out here, had fun, and played with toughness.”
Bueckers was also asked about young players like Sarah Strong and Jana Al Elfy excelling at a high level. “It’s what they prepare to do,” she replied. “They work extremely hard for it in practice. It hasn’t come yet, but we know if they keep working, ‘It’s coming. It’s coming.’ They’ve been tremendous this whole year.” Rowe’s final question addressed the anticipated pushback from the Gamecocks in the second half, which UConn managed with ease.
Paige Bueckers halftime interview as UConn leads SC by 22 points pic.twitter.com/Gl0EfDto3C
— Basketball Scout (@ShowCaseShabazz) February 16, 2025
Three questions, one minute — Bueckers handled the interview like a pro. Though she sounded a bit winded, she remained fully composed with the cameras on, even if the last thing she wanted to do was talk.
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