UConn Dominates South Carolina in Women’s NCAA Final

The University of Connecticut Huskies dominated the South Carolina Gamecocks 82-59 on Sunday afternoon from Tampa in the women’s NCAA championship game, winning the 12th championship in program history and avenging 2022’s 64-49 loss to the Gamecocks. The 12th victory for the Huskies, all under head coach Geno Auriemma, is the most by a Division-I program.  

Auriemma’s group was led throughout the tournament by Paige Bueckers, the presumed No. 1 pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft. Though Bueckers was just 5-for-14 from the field on Sunday, she converted 7-of-7 free-throws and finished with 17 points. Throughout the tournament, she registered 11 points (103-34 Huskies in the first round over Arkansas State), 34, 40, 31, 16, along with her 17 on Sunday. Bueckers’ career as a Husky wraps up with the third-most career points (477) in women’s NCAA tournament history, behind Chamique Holdsclaw (University of Tennessee, 1995-1999, 479 points) and Caitlin Clark’s 492 points with the University of Iowa. In her junior season at Tennessee, Holdsclaw averaged 26.3 points and 25 points in the NCAA Final game for the Volunteers. Clark averaged 31.8 points and 30.0 points in successive tournaments in 2023 and 2024. Bueckers is also the only male or female player in NCAA history to defeat six No. 1 seeds (North Carolina State and Stanford in 2022, USC in 2024, and USC, UCLA, and South Carolina in this year’s tournament). 

Back to the action on Sunday, and the Huskies dominated for its near entirety, stretching a 36-26 halftime advantage to 62-42 after three quarters. Sarah Strong led the charge with 24 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks (10-for-15, 2-for-3 from downtown) in the game, and in doing so set a freshman Division-I NCAA tournament record with 114 total points. Azzi Fudd, like Bueckers a senior, scored 24 points on 9-for-17 including making all five of her free-throw attempts. 

For the Gamecocks, the disappointing blowout loss is an abrupt end to another successful Dawn Staley-coached season, in which the group made their third National Championship game in the last five years. Last season, the team defeated Clark’s Iowa 87-75 in the final and finished the season with an unblemished 38-0 record. In addition to their 2022 win over UConn, the Gamecocks won the title in 2017, defeating Mississippi State in the final 67-55. 

Buckets were challenging for the Gamecocks on Sunday, the group shooting just 34% while UConn shot 48%. Sophomore Tessa Johnson’s 10 points and freshman Joyce Edwards’ 10, both off the bench, were team-highs, while MiLaysia Fulwiley scored 9 points on 4-for-7. Look for Fulwiley, a junior next season, to take another big leap into the starting lineup. Junior Raven Johnson was just 1-for-7, junior Chloe Kitts was 3-for-11, and senior Te-Hina Paopao was only 1-for-6. With Paopao, Sania Feagin, and Bree Hall departing, the Gamecocks still will have a formidable squad next year with Fulwiley, Edwards, Johnson, and Kitts. 

With Bueckers and Fudd concluding their college careers, Auriemma has Strong as his program centerpiece going forward. The freshman, who averaged 16.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists on 58% percent shooting has a bright future ahead of her. 

Congratulations to Auriemma on another victory and Bueckers on an outstanding college career.