Women's Fastbreak On SI

Paige Bueckers Relishes Reality of Sharing Floor With Azzi Fudd After UConn Win

UConn Huskies star guards Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd are feeling good about hooping together again.

Grant Young

Nov 4, 2023; Storrs, CT, USA; UConn Huskies guard Azzi Fudd (35) and guard Paige Bueckers (5) defend against Southern Connecticut State University guard Jillian Martin (4) in the first half at Gampel Pavillion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Nov 4, 2023; Storrs, CT, USA; UConn Huskies guard Azzi Fudd (35) and guard Paige Bueckers (5) defend against Southern Connecticut State University guard Jillian Martin (4) in the first half at Gampel Pavillion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

The No. 2 ranked UConn Huskies women's basketball team improved to 6-0 in the 2024-25 season after cruising to a 73-60 win against the Ole Miss Rebels on Wednesday.

Per usual, the Huskies were led by superstar guard Paige Bueckers, who finished the game with 29 points (on 11-17 from the field), 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals in 38 minutes played.

But what hasn't been usual over the past year is Azzi Fudd making a major impact, as she just recently returned to action after missing almost all of last season due to a torn ACL.

Fudd finished Wednesday's game with 18 points on 8-11 from the field.

Bueckers and Fudd are extremely close friends and seemed all but inseparable at various off-court events over the summer.

But it was their on-court connection that Bueckers was feeling sentimental about after Wednesday's win.

"Honestly, it's a little weird," Bueckers said with a smile when asked what it's like to play with Fudd right now, per SNY. "'Cause we've wanted to for so long and now it's actually reality. And so, I mean I feel like this is the first game where it kind of sunk in.

"She played a lot more, she looked like her aggressive self," Bueckers added of Fudd. "Even the games we have played, I feel like we both weren't 100%, and so we're getting there, and we don't want to take it for granted and think that this is just what it is... We want to enjoy every moment playing together and just enjoy playing with the team. This is a really fun group, I love this group."

At the beginning of the interview, Bueckers joked, "You haven't done media in like two years" when she and Fudd were deciding on who should answer a question.

Bueckers and Fudd back on the court together is bad news for opposing teams.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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