UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- Paige Bueckers hadn't lost a Big East game in her decorated career as a UConn Husky, and she wasn't about change that in her final contest in the conference.
The UConn superstar lifted the 1-seed Huskies to a 70-50 victory over the 2-seed Creighton Bluejays in the Big East tournament championship game to claim the program's 30th conference tournament title -- the most in Division I history -- and 12th straight.
Bueckers delivered timely baskets whenever Creighton gained momentum, hitting three 3-pointers and converting all 7 of her free throws, on her way to finishing with 24 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals.
In a conference and program home to many of the sport's greats, Bueckers became the first player to win Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player three times.
"It's very cool. It's hard to do something that's never been done at UConn before," said Bueckers, who improved to 66-0 in Big East games in her career. "I feel like everything's been accomplished, so I'm grateful and blessed. But it's really a team achievement, a team award, a testament to the coaching staff, my teammates, who do a whole bunch for me so I'm able to go out there and perform alongside of them."
"For her to be able to constantly come up with these kind of performances, time and time again, she just has that thing that those kinds of players have," coach Geno Auriemma added.
The next time Bueckers takes the floor at Mohegan Sun Arena, she will do it as a WNBA player. The 2021 national player of the year has an additional year of eligibility but has said this will be her final season at UConn. Bueckers is the presumptive No. 1 pick in April's draft, where the Dallas Wings have the first pick, and she showed out over the weekend with Wings personnel watching courtside.
Bueckers almost nonchalantly accepted her award before taking confetti photos with teammates and dedicating some time to signing autographs for fans who'd waited well past the final buzzer in hopes of meeting her. Monday's celebration was bittersweet, she said, as she took in that this specific chapter of her UConn career had come to a close.
But enjoying the moment and being present remain top of mind for her as March progresses.
"There's an emphasis on me having fun during this last postseason run, just enjoying it, just embracing it," Bueckers said. "I love playing with this team. I love playing at UConn. I love playing in these environments. So I wanted to show it more and enjoy it more, and not feel the pressure, not play with pressure, but just play with joy."
Auriemma had already won 10 Big East tournament crowns by the time Bueckers was born in 2001. He now boasts three times as many -- with no other Division I program boasting more than 22 -- nearing the end of his 40th season at the helm and as the sport's winningest coach.
"The road to these tournaments, it looks easy because sometimes we have a tendency to make it look easier than it really is," Auriemma said. "But the amount of work that goes into what we try to do and how we do it, the reward that you get is being able to play in this game and win a game like this."
Auriemma credits the program's ability to recruit great players, and this season's team is no different. Bueckers is flanked by a pair of stars in graduate student Azzi Fudd (13 points) and freshman Sarah Strong, who was just as worthy of the most outstanding player trophy this weekend.
Strong finished the tournament with three consecutive double-doubles, including a 13 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 6 steals and 3 blocks on Monday.
It's that talent, plus program culture, that have created the Huskies' consistent dominance, Auriemma said. "We have a belief system in our program that this is the expectation," Auriemma said. "I truly believe that the higher you set expectations, the closer you get to achieving those. And we have tremendously high expectations every year, those never go away. And some years you fall short, but most times we don't."
The expectation around Storrs for the rest of the season is plenty clear. And after dealing with a slew of injuries over the past several years, the team is the healthiest and deepest it has been in March in some time, boosting hope that it can bring home a 12th national championship and the program's first since 2016.
"We don't have quite the experience that some of those guys [last season] had, but what we do have is the ability that if the game's not going in our direction, that we can change it," Auriemma said. "That doesn't mean we're going to change it, but we have the opportunity to."