Uconn’s women’s basketball team is champion for the 12th time – and the first in almost a decade – after having categorically defeated South Carolina 82-59 in the national championship on Sunday.
In what was only the second appearance of the program’s titles match since 2016, the Huskies prevented the Dawn Staley group from winning their third title in four years.
Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong both paved the way with 24 points, while Paige Bueckers – expected to be the overall choice n ° 1 of the WNBA draft this month, also collected 17 points and six rebounds.
The trio came out of the game with around 90 seconds remaining while the crowd of Tampa gave them a massive ovation and Bueckers shared a hug with his coach Geno Auriemma.
“I love him, that’s all I can say,” he said about ESPN when he was asked for the moment.
“About two months ago, this team fell in love with each other … They fell in love with each other, the process,” he continued.
Paige Bueckers ended his university career at the top while Uconn women beat South Carolina
Azzi Fudd, who will return for a fifth season next year, led the Huskies in score
The South Carolina of Dawn Staley was looking for a third title in four years on Sunday
It has been nine years since Uconn and their legendary coach Auriemma had won a title, although Sunday’s victory ended it more as the best coach in the history of women’s university basketball.
His 12 titles are now four more than the next competitor, the late coach of Tennessee Pat Summitt, who won eight titles.
Staley, who won three titles in total with Southern Carolina, would have jumped third in the list of all time with a victory at Tampa Bay.
The Gamecocks were competitive in the first half because they entered the rupture 10, but the Huskies moved in the second period.
In the end, only one South Carolina player, Tessa Johnson, scored two figures while the Gamecocks offensive struggled in the last 20 minutes of the match.
The last appearance of the match for the title of the Huskies before this year came in 2022, when the Staley team broke Uconn to start the current success of Gamecocks, a game which ended the perfect record of Auriemma in the title games.
The only UCONN player to have seen a lot of time in the title for the title three years ago against South Carolina was Bueckers, who played in his last university match this weekend.
The guard, which has had injuries earlier in his university career – including an ACL torn in 2022 – returned to form in the past two seasons before ending his university career with a title.
Earlier this week, she was named All-American for the third time and seems ready to join the Wings of Dallas, owners of the first global choice of the WNBA.
More to follow
