The Connecticut Huskies won their record 12th national championship Sunday, throttling the South Carolina Gamecocks 82-59 in a rematch of the 2022 title game.
The Gamecocks were looking for their second straight championship and third in four years but were denied by the Huskies, who dominated them offensively.
Connecticut was led by senior guard Azzi Fudd and freshman forward Sarah Strong, who combined to score 48 points on 19-of-32 shooting. Senior guard Paige Bueckers, the presumptive No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming WNBA draft, scored 17 points in her final college basketball game.
South Carolina simply could not keep up offensively. The Gamecocks’ leading scorer was Joyce Edwards, but she shot only 33.3% from the field. The SEC Sixth Woman of the Year, MiLaysia Fulwiley, was held in check, scoring six points off the bench.
Both teams started hot offensively, trading buckets for much of the game’s first five minutes. The pace and high-scoring nature seemed to favor the Huskies, however, and that proved to be true over the course of the game.
As play continued, Connecticut’s scorers remained hot while the Gamecocks couldn’t find answers on either end of the floor. The Huskies led by five after the first quarter, by 10 after the second and then by 20 after the third.
The win adds to Connecticut’s record championship total, which was already an NCAA-best 11 before Sunday. And not only did the Huskies win their first title since 2016, but they also avenged the program’s only ever loss in the final round of the tournament.
The Gamecocks, meanwhile, were denied their fourth championship. While South Carolina was in its fifth straight Final Four, it was not as dominant as last year’s undefeated champ, which finished the year 38-0.
The title is especially meaningful for Bueckers’ legacy. In her career at Connecticut, Bueckers beat six No. 1 seeds in the tournament. Despite having multiple injury-plagued seasons, she will end her collegiate career as the Huskies’ third all-time leading scorer.
Fudd, on the other hand, will forgo a professional career this summer and remain at Connecticut for a chance to repeat in her final season. She was a difference maker in the backcourt with Bueckers, posting multiple big scoring nights in the postseason.
Strong’s return will also be a boost. Her 114 points in the tournament were the most by a freshman in Division I history.
Both teams, led by legendary coaches in Geno Auriemma (Huskies) and Dawn Staley (Gamecocks), figure to be major players come tournament time next season. South Carolina hasn’t been knocked out before the Final Four since 2019, while Connecticut has missed only one Final Four since 2008.
Final score: Connecticut 82, South Carolina 59
UConn has won its 12th national championship but the first since 2016 by running away from South Carolina during a dominant second half that left no doubt about which team is the best in the country this season.
Coach Geno Auriemma, the winningest coach in Division I history, adds a 12th title to his unmatched credentials after his team shot 48% and held South Carolina to 34% shooting. The Huskies assisted 18 of their 30 field goals and were led by Sarah Strong's 24 points and 15 rebounds and Azzi Fudd's 24 points.
UConn has taken out its starters
Paige Bueckers received an enormous ovation from the crowd in Tampa after being taken out along with her fellow starters. Bueckers left the court from her final collegiate game by hugging coach Geno Auriemma.
UConn's lead balloons to 30
Despite making only four 3-pointers all game, the Huskies have dominated close to the basket and lead 78-48 with 4:37 to play in the fourth quarter. Connecticut has scored 32 points in the paint thanks to an offense that has continually sliced through South Carolina's defense.
Geno Auriemma looking to add to record trophy haul
Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma entered today already holding the Division I record among coaches, with 11 NCAA championships — that's one more than the men's record-holder, John Wooden — and Auriemma is now just one quarter away from earning a 12th. A title would bookend a season that saw him, in November, pass Tara VanDerveer to become the winningest coach all-time in NCAA history.
End of third: UConn 62, South Carolina 42
The Huskies outscored the Gamecocks 26-16 in the third, opening up a 20-point lead.
South Carolina has had no answers for Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong, who’ve combined for 41 points. UConn is shooting 47.8% as a team.
Meanwhile, the Gamecocks are shooting only 31.3%.
Huskies undefeated this season when leading after three quarters
UConn is 36-0 this season when entering the fourth quarter with a lead — in fact, all three of its losses have come when it has trailed entering the final quarter. There is no doubt it will leave this third quarter up after building a double-digit advantage on South Carolina.
The Huskies are pulling away
UConn is up 48-35 with 4:27 left in the third, with Paige Bueckers set to take two free throws after a break. The Huskies’ largest lead in the game was 15.
Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong have been relentless, combining for 33 points on 14-of-22 shooting.
The Gamecocks desperately need to string together some stops and scores.
Huskies forward Jana El Alfy in foul trouble
The Connecticut starter, so important to defending the post in her team's semifinal win against UCLA, has been called for her fourth foul with 6:27 to play in the third quarter. El Alfy was whistled for two fouls in quick succession and immediately went to the bench.
UConn's Strong dominant on the boards
Huskies center Sarah Strong had 13 rebounds in her team's February win against South Carolina but not even three full quarters into this game, Strong already has grabbed 12 boards, all on the defensive glass. The Huskies as a team have 21 rebounds.
At halftime, Huskies star Bueckers has 8 points
The likely No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming WNBA draft, Connecticut star guard Paige Bueckers, has made three of her nine shot attempts for eight points at the half. When these teams met in a non-conference game in February that ended with a 29-point UConn victory, Bueckers had 12 points, allowing teammate Azzi Fudd to do much of the heavy lifting.
Today, Fudd is getting going early again, with a game-high 13 points. If that duo is allowed to remain this comfortable in the second half, it's UConn's title to lose.
Halftime: UConn 36, South Carolina 26
The Huskies look like the much better team after one half, as the Gamecocks are having a difficult time keeping up offensively.
Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong have combined to score 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting for UConn. Conversely, the entire South Carolina team has 26 points on 10-of-32 shooting.
The Huskies are up big despite hitting only one shot from beyond the arc.
The Gamecocks will have to find answers on both ends of the floor to close the gap in the second half.
Officials are allowing physicality
Connecticut has only five free throws and South Carolina six in the final minute of the first half as officials are letting these teams play in the low post. That kind of game probably benefits UConn most, because it is used to not needing free throws to win. The Huskies average only 11 per game, ranking 339th out of 353 Division I teams this season.
UConn is staying steady in front
The Huskies have opened up a 29-22 lead with 3:50 left in the first half.
South Carolina’s offense is struggling to keep up. The Gamecocks are shooting only 36% from the field after a hot start.
Azzi Fudd continues to shine, she’s up to 11 points.
Joyce Edwards picks up tough second foul
Joyce Edwards went to the bench with 7:17 left in the second quarter after picking up her second foul on a Paige Bueckers jumper.
ESPN rules analyst Violet Palmer disagreed with the call on the broadcast, saying the contact was minimal and came late.
UConn dictating pace early
The Huskies have looked more comfortable with the speed of the game thus far, something that was seen on South Carolina coach Dawn Staley's face as she directed guard MiLaysia Fulwiley to play faster late in the second quarter after Fulwiley had her dribble stolen. The Gamecocks typically jump on opponents early, but today they have a different challenge to overcome.
End of first: UConn 19, South Carolina 14
A fun first quarter that featured a lot of offense.
Azzi Fudd leads all scorers with 7 points.
Chloe Kitts leads the Gamecocks with 4.
The Huskies shot 52.9% in the opening period compared to 40% for South Carolina.
UConn has a slim lead at the under-four timeout
The Huskies are up 15-13 with 3:59 to go in the first quarter.
Every single UConn starter has scored. Azzi Fudd leads all players with 5 points.
Chloe Kitts leads the Gamecocks with 4 points.
Mistake gives South Carolina's Kitts two fouls
Gamecocks post Chloe Kitts is in foul trouble early in the first quarter after an apparent officiating mistake that ended with a second foul being called on her when Kitts was nowhere near the action. This can be changed during a break in play, and I'm sure South Carolina coach Dawn Staley will lobby officials to correct it.
Both teams are off to an incredibly hot start
Great offense through the game’s first five minutes, as the teams have combined to shoot 11-of-18 from the field — a 61.1% clip.
Neither team has led by more than three. UConn is up 13-11 with 5:02 to go.
We’re off!
Will South Carolina win its second straight national championship?
Will UConn return to glory?
The rematch of the 2022 title game is underway!
We're moments away
The women's national title game is about to tip off. The starting lineups are being read.
Last 10 women's national champions
2024 - South Carolina (38-0)
2023- LSU (34-2)
2022- South Carolina (35-2)
2021- Stanford (31-2)
2020 - Canceled due to Covid-19
2019 - Baylor (37-1)
2018 - Notre Dame (34-3)
2017 - South Carolina (33-4)
2016 - Connecticut (38-0)
2015 - Connecticut (38-1)
2014 - Connecticut (40-0)
Good or bad the Final Four had 3 No. 1 seeds and a No. 2 seed?
As a sicko who doesn’t make a bracket specifically to root for mass chaos, I am legitimately torn on this question. On one hand, the beauty of the knockout tournament is seeing an underdog catch fire and try to ride that wave all the way to the Final Four. On the other, it’s hard to be upset when most of the best talent in the sport is left to battle it out for a championship. So I will say that I err on the side of being pro-top seed. At the end of the day, when the stakes are at their highest, I want to see the sport’s best battling each other in high-pressure situations.
Paige Buckers' journey would make today special
Bueckers’ trying to win a ring as the elder stateswoman on a relatively young Connecticut Huskies squad is as exciting as it gets.
Bueckers has had a roller-coaster collegiate career, essentially having two seasons (one partly, one entirely) ruined by injury. In her senior go-around with the Huskies, she has remained a talented and efficient scorer while also being the playmaker her team desperately needs.
Bueckers and UConn have been in the Final Four each of the last two years (and four out of the last five seasons), but the program hasn’t won a championship since 2016. Bueckers’ returning the Huskies to glory would be an incredibly satisfying story.