After No. 1 LSU went down in its season opener on Monday, it didn't take long for another major upset to happen, as No. 2 UConn lost its second game of the year to unranked N.C. State on Sunday 92-81.
Huskies star Paige Bueckers scored 27 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome a stellar performance by Wolfpack junior guard Saniya Rivers, who stuffed the stat sheet with 33 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks.
UConn held a one-point lead at halftime, but N.C. State managed to pull away at the start of the fourth quarter thanks to an 11-0 run.
Aaliyah Edwards added 21 points for the Huskies and Aziaha James chipped in 18 points for the Wolfpack. UConn struggled on defense and allowed N.C. State to shoot 52.5 percent from the field. There was also a huge free-throw disparity, with the Wolfpack getting to the line 28 times compared to just 11 times for the Huskies.
It was UConn's first loss to N.C. State since the 1998 regional final that sent the Wolfpack to their lone Final Four appearance in program history.
Fans online were surprised by the Huskies' loss on Sunday:
LSU's loss on Monday opened the door for UConn to take the No. 1 spot in the rankings this week, but Sunday's loss will knock the Huskies down in the polls. While it was good to see Bueckers back in her usual form, there are issues on the defensive side of the ball that need to be addressed if UConn wants to be successful this year.
The Huskies will have a few days to regroup, as they will have another tough matchup against No. 14 Maryland on Thursday.
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