UConn guard Azzi Fudd (35) shoots against South Carolina forward Sania Feagin (20) during the first half of the national championship game of the women’s NCAA college basketball tournament on Sunday in Tampa, Fla. Chris O’Meara/AP
TAMPA, Fla. — The University of Connecticut women’s basketball team has reasserted its dominance, capturing its 12th national title with a commanding victory over South Carolina, 82-59. Azzi Fudd led the charge, scoring 24 points.
Alongside Fudd, Sarah Strong also put up 24 points and secured 15 rebounds, while Paige Bueckers contributed 17 points in what was her final game with UConn (37-3).
Bueckers’ remarkable career concluded with this championship, the first for the Huskies since 2016, ending a nine-year title drought. This was the longest gap between titles for coach Geno Auriemma since UConn’s first championship in 1995 with Rebecca Lobo.
Over the years, the Huskies have enjoyed a series of dominant championship seasons, including notable runs led by Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi in the early 2000s, Maya Moore in 2009-10, and Breanna Stewart from 2013-16. Many of these stars were present in Florida to witness the latest UConn triumph.
Bueckers, who is expected to be the top pick in the upcoming WNBA draft on April 14, was instrumental in the Huskies’ successful season. Despite injuries that marred her college career, she was the first freshman to receive the AP Player of the Year award, though her sophomore season was cut short by a tibial plateau fracture and meniscus tear, followed by an ACL tear the next season.
The game saw UConn take a 10-point lead into halftime and solidify their advantage in the third quarter. The trio of Fudd, Strong, and Bueckers scored 23 of the team’s 26 points in the quarter. With a 50-39 lead and 3:21 remaining in the period, UConn closed with a 12-3 run to secure the victory.
Fudd and Strong initiated the final push with consecutive three-pointers, and the team never looked back. Coach Auriemma subbed out Bueckers, Fudd, and Strong with 1:32 left on the clock, sharing a prolonged hug with Bueckers as they celebrated the championship they had longed for.
Meanwhile, South Carolina, under Coach Dawn Staley, was aiming for their third title in four years and fourth overall, which would have placed her alongside Kim Mulkey with the third most titles behind Auriemma and legendary Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, who had eight.
UConn’s last championship game appearance was in 2022, where they were defeated by Staley’s squad, ending Auriemma’s perfect record in title games. During the recent title drought, the Huskies faced heart-wrenching Final Four exits due to last-second buzzer-beaters.
The championship game started energetically, with both teams exchanging baskets before defenses tightened. UConn led 19-14 at the end of the first quarter and extended their lead to 36-26 by halftime, with Fudd scoring 13 points and Strong contributing eight points and 11 rebounds.
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
