By Doug Feinberg
Tampa, Florida (AP)-Uconn is back at the top of women’s basketball, winning his 12th national championship by buying the title champion of the South Carolina 82-59 Sunday behind the 24 points of Azzi Fudd.
Sarah Strong added 24 points and 15 rebounds while Paige Bueckers collected 17 points in her last game in Uconn (37-3).
“Well, it’s incredible to have three players, three people like that in the same team,” said Uconn coach Geno Auriemma. “And Sarah, one might think that Sarah was graduated from the way she plays, right? All three complement each other so well. They all have such unique skills.”
Bueckers has crowned his stellar career with the first Huskies championship since 2016, ending a nine -year drought for the team. It was the longest for Auriemma and its Huskies since the team won its first championship in 1995 led by Rebecca Lobo.
Since then, the Huskies have had dominant championship races, especially in the early 2000s, led by Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, 2009-10 with Maya Moore and finally the four consecutive matches of 2013-2016 with Breanna Stewart. All were present in Florida on Sunday to see the last title of the Huskies.
“You never know if you will be back in this situation,” said Auriemma. “And there have been so many times when I think we have all questioned ourselves:” Have we been here for too long? ” Did he have time? And we continued to hang on and cling to it and it is because these players make me want to hang on to it every day.
Finally, healthy, the n ° 1 choice planned for the WNBA draft on April 14, Bueckers delivered for the Huskies throughout their championship season.
It was the only thing that lacked in an incredible UCONC career that was slowed down by injuries. She was the first first year to win the player in the year before missing a large part of her second season with a fracture of the Tibial plateau and a meniscian tear. She then torn an LCA before the following season.
UCONN closed the first half increasing by 10 points, then put the match in the third quarter behind Fudd, Strong and Bueckers. The trio combined for 23 of the 26 points of the team during the quarter. Uconn was up 50-39 with 3:21 to do in the period before closing with a 12-3 race.
Fudd, who was appointed the most remarkable player in the Final Four, and Strong started with back-to-back 3, and the rout was in progress. Auriemma submitted Bueckers, Fudd and Strong with 1:32 to play in the game. Bueckers and Auriemma had a long hug on the sidelines, after finally obtaining this championship which he wanted so much for her.
“They were all gratifying, do not get me wrong. But this one here, because of the way it happened and what was involved, it’s been a long time since I was so emotional when a player left the field,” said Auriemma.
The Dawn Staley team was trying a third title in four years and fourth in the general classification. This would have linked him with Kim Mulkey for the third most behind Auriemma and the former coach of the Tennessee renown, Pat Summitt, who had eight.
Uconn had only reached the match for the title only once in his drought since 2016. The Huskies had been eliminated by last second heartbreaking defeats in the Final Four on Buzzer-Beaders. The last appearance of the match for the title of the Huskies occurred in 2022 when the Staley team broke Uconn to start the current success of the Gamecocks, a game which ended the perfect record of Auriemma in the title games.
There seemed to be no nerves early for one or the other team when the match started quickly. The teams exchanged baskets during the first minutes before the defenses started to tighten. The Huskies led 19-14 after a quarter, then extended the advantage at 36-26 at halftime. Fudd collected 13 points and Strong added eight points and 11 rebounds.
Originally published:
California Daily Newspapers
