“New Zag fan”: UConn star Paige Bueckers has an emotional reaction to ex-teammate Ines Bettencourt’s Gonzaga commitment

Innes Bettencourt is leaving StorrsInnes Bettencourt is leaving Storrs

Portuguese player Ines Bettencourt is leaving the UConn Huskies for the Gonzaga Bulldogs and Paige Bueckers is there to support her former teammate. Bueckers, who’s the Lady Huskies’ main star, posted a story showing Bettencourt’s commitment to the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

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She added the following caption to the story:

“New Zag Fan” with an emoji holding back tears.

Ines Bettencourt lost ground on the Huskies roster this year, only featuring in 25 of 39 games this season, mainly off the bench. She averaged 1.4 points, 0.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 0.4 steals in 9.0 minutes per game.

Ines Bettencourt’s farewell message to the Husky nation

The now Gonzaga player announced her decision to leave the University of Connecticut on April 8th, when she posted a heartfelt message to her Instagram feed. The message was aimed at Huskies fans, saying:

“Thank you UConn Nation for these past two years, being able to come from my small island in Portugal to the United States for the first time at 17 is something I would have never deemed of. To my coaches, I want to thank you for taking a chance on me when no one else would. To my teammates, thank you for accepting me into this amazing family and to UConn Nation, you guys have been some of the biggest supports during my time at UConn. I will always hold a place in my heart for this amazing experience and cannot wait to see what chapter is next for me! Thank you!”

Bettencourt arrived on Storrs in 2022, shortly after Paige Bueckers suffered a season-ending ACL injury.

Bettencourt was originally meant to play junior college basketball at Northwest Florida. She received a last-minute offer from UConn during the scramble to cover the position. She played through the season as Nika Mühl’s backup (It was Nika Mühl who filled in for Bueckers) and started the game against Maryland when the Croatian Mühl was injured.