In a resounding return to dominance, the UConn Huskies secured their 12th NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship by defeating defending champion South Carolina 82-59 on Sunday night in Florida. Led by star trio Azzi Fudd, Sarah Strong, and Paige Bueckers, the Huskies (37-3) ended a nine-year title drought — the program’s longest since winning its first championship in 1995.
Fudd, who earned Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, scored 24 points, while freshman phenom Strong added 24 points and 15 rebounds, setting an NCAA freshman tournament record with 114 total points. Bueckers, closing out a storied and injury-riddled career, contributed 17 points and guided UConn to its first national championship since 2016.
The Huskies broke the game open with a dominant third quarter, where their big three combined for 23 of the team’s 26 points. After leading 36-26 at halftime, UConn went on a 12-3 run late in the third, sparked by back-to-back threes from Fudd and Strong, putting the game out of reach. Geno Auriemma emptied the bench with just over 90 seconds to go, allowing his stars to soak in the moment.
The trio of Fudd, Strong, and Bueckers combined for 368 points during the NCAA tournament — the highest total ever for three teammates, surpassing the legendary 1998 Tennessee trio (Holdsclaw, Catchings, Randell – 363) and Michigan’s 1989 men’s group led by Glen Rice (366).
This title also reasserts Auriemma’s dynasty, which had only reached the title game once since 2016 and had suffered multiple Final Four heartbreaks, including a loss to South Carolina in the 2022 final. On Sunday, UConn finally flipped the script on Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks, who were seeking a third title in four years and to tie Kim Mulkey for third-most all time.
Notable legends including Rebecca Lobo, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, and Breanna Stewart were in attendance, witnessing a new generation of Huskies ascend. For Bueckers — expected to be the No. 1 pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft on April 14 — the win completed the only missing piece in a remarkable, if injury-marred, collegiate career.
With the emergence of Strong, the resurgence of Fudd, and the brilliance of Bueckers, UConn reminded the world that the road to the championship still runs through Storrs.
