NCAA Championship: Azzi Fudd d’Uconn named Final Four Mop on Paige Bueckers, Sarah Strong

In a Final Four which also presented the sensational efforts by Paige Bueckers and Sarah Strong, Azzi Fudd was appointed player most remarkable on Sunday after the 82-59 Uconn victory over South Carolina during the NCAA championship match.

Fudd finished with 24 points, five rebounds and three interceptions while the Huskies passed the Gamecocks for the 12th National Championship of the Program. It is now the MOP of the Final Four three seasons after a disappointing effort of 3 points in the defeat of Uconn against Southern Carolina during the national match of the 2022 national title.

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Sunday’s victory was an overwhelming effort of the Huskies to guarantee the 12th national title of the program and leaves no doubt about their assertion as the best team in the country. In the end, the MOP price was not an obvious or easy choice.

Strong, a first -year student, was dominant on both sides of the court while obtaining 24 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two interceptions. Bueckers had a feeling on his side in his last university match and finished with a very effort with 17 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

But finally, the voters determined that Fudd was the legitimate winner after having triggered Uconn’s first advance on the South Carolina that the Gamecocks have never disputed.

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Fudd scored seven of the 19 Uconn points when the Huskies opened an advance of 19-14. She led the charge while Uconn opened the match for an advance of 36-26 at halftime, and Fudd ended the first half as top scorer with 13 points while playing on both sides of the field.

Then, in the third quarter, Fudd struck a corner 3 which inflated Uconn’s advance at 53-39 and responded to a Southern Caroline race 4-0 which was equivalent to the last hacking of the Gamecocks.

The South Carolina had no answers from there, because the rest of the second half was a coronation for Uconn.

Fudd’s performance on Sunday followed another sensational effort in UCONN 85-51 national victory against UCLA on Friday. In this match, Fudd scored his 19 points in the first half while the Huskies opened a 42-22 lead. As Sunday, the second half of this match was largely a formality with the long secure result.

There was no bad answer for Mop in a Final Four which presented exceptional performance by Fudd, Strong and Bueckers. And Fudd, who has already announced that she would return to Uconn next season, will do it with a national championship ring and a final Four Mop trophy at its reach.