UCONN Women Win Title
The UConn Women are national champions for the first time since 2016 and a record 12th time overall after a dominant performance against the South Carolina Gamecocks on Sunday afternoon in Tampa.
Earl Heath | Contributing Sports Writer
The UConn Women are national champions for the first time since 2016 and a record 12th time overall after a dominant performance against the South Carolina Gamecocks on Sunday afternoon in Tampa.
After a quick start by the Gamecocks, the Huskies took the lead in the middle of the first quarter and never looked back. They led by as many as 32 and were comfortably ahead for the entirety of the second half.
This is the first title for Paige Bueckers, who did not have her best shooting night but put up 17 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. She got plenty of help from Sarah Strong (24 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, two steals, three blocks) and Azzi Fudd (24 points, five rebounds and three blocks).
The NCAA Tournament came to a close in anticlimactic fashion last week when UConn cruised to an 82-59 win over South Carolina to claim its first national championship since 2016 and a record 12th overall.
Azzi Fudd, who finished with 24 points, five rebounds, and three steals, was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player. For Fudd, the honor is especially sweet. After knee injuries and seasons cut short, she returned to full form this March Madness and saved her best for the biggest moments. She averaged 21.4 points per game across the NCAA tournament, including 24 against UCLA in the Final Four and another 24 on Sunday in Tampa.
South Carolina got off to a strong start but was unable to sustain any sort of offensive attack. UConn grabbed the lead in the middle of the first quarter and never looked back. Late in the second quarter, Ashlynn Shade hit a 3-pointer to put the Huskies up by 10, and they led by double digits the rest of the way.
The dominant win over South Carolina capped an extremely impressive tournament for the Huskies. They became the fourth team to beat three No. 1 seeds en route to the title, joining Tennessee (1987), Louisiana Tech (1988), and Baylor (2005), and won every game by at least 14 points.
With the win, UCONN Coach Gino Auriemma improves to 12-1 in national title games and reestablishes UConn’s dominance at the top of the sport. It’s the Huskies’ first championship since 2016.
