UConn star Paige Bueckers responded emotionally to being named the 2021 Associated Press women's basketball player of the year:

The guard is the first freshman ever to win the award.

"It's amazing, surreal for people to think of me that highly and to be in that position as a freshman," Bueckers said, via Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press. "To get this award, I'm extremely humbled and grateful."

Bueckers has been dominant since arriving on campus for the Huskies, averaging 20.1 points, 5.9 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game this season. She has been a go-to option for a team that is 28-1 and is now two games away from its first national championship since 2016.

The Minnesota native scored a game-high 28 points in the 69-67 win over Baylor that sent Connecticut to the Final Four.