When Paige Bueckers' masterclass helped Geno Auriemma's UConn outlast DiJonai Carrington, Kim Mulkey's Baylor despite controversy

Paige Bueckers put up a masterclass in the 2021 Elite Eight, scoring 28 points to lead then-top-seeded UConn to a 69-67 win over No. 2 Baylor and reach its 13th consecutive Final Four in the women's NCAA Tournament on March 29, 2021, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Bueckers put up a magical display to dethrone the Kim Mulkey-coached Baylor, shooting 10-of-22 from the field, including 3-of-7 from the 3-point line, and making 5-of-6 free throws. The 6-foot phenom scored 10 in a 19-0 surge that reversed a 55-45 deficit to a 64-55 lead in the middle of the fourth period.

The Bears responded with a 12-4 run that cut the deficit to one, 68-67, after DiJonai Carrington buried two free throws with 19.3 seconds left. UConn opened a big opportunity for Baylor to retake the lead when Christyn Williams missed both free throws.

But Carrington missed a contested jumper from the baseline, allowing Williams to grab the rebound with 0.8 seconds left. She was fouled and hit one of the free throws before Bueckers stole the inbound pass at the buzzer.

Carrington, who scored 22 points, was clipped on her elbow and in the face before falling hard to the floor, but the referees didn't whistle, and play resumed.

After the game, former Baylor coach Kim Mulkey gave her take on the non-call, insisting the referees should have called on either of the two contacts made against Carrington.

"You don't need a quote from me," Mulkey told reporters. "I've got still shots and video from two angles. One kid hits her in the face and one kid hits her on the elbow."

UConn made the Final Four and faced Arizona, but the Huskies lost to the Wildcats 69-59 and arranged a titular duel with Stanford, which eventually won the 2021 national final, edging Arizona 54-53.

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A lot has changed after the controversial UConn-Baylor game

The aftermath of the UConn-Baylor game saw Kim Mulkey not return to Baylor for another year. Instead, she signed up for the LSU Lady Tigers, where she helped the team win a national championship in 2023, beating the Caitlin Clark-led Iowa Hawkeyes.

Mulkey would guide LSU to back-to-back Elite Eight stints and lead the Lady Tigers to a perennial women's basketball power in the SEC. The 62-year-old coach has a record of 122-20 (.859) and 53-11 (.828) in the SEC regular season.

Geno Auriemma remains a full-time UConn women's basketball coach, and in his 40th season, he became the winningest coach in NCAA history. Auriemma finally captured his 12th national title in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, dethroning South Carolina, 82-59.

DiJonai Carrington was drafted in the second round by the Connecticut Sun and played for four years there before she was traded to the Dallas Wings in February this year. In four seasons with Connecticut, she averaged 8.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.

Carrington is set to be teammates with Wings No. 1 pick and former rival Paige Bueckers, who is fresh from leading UConn to its 12th national title and first since 2016.

Bueckers is set to become Dallas' top star, while Carrington will bring veteran presence and experience to protect her young teammate from the scrutiny of experts and fellow players, who would likely give her a rude welcome in the first few games of the 2025 WNBA season.