The University of Connecticut Huskies outscored South Carolina 46-33 in the second half on Sunday afternoon, pulling away for an 82-59 victory in the NCAA Division I women’s basketball championship game at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. The title is the 12th for UConn in their 24th Final Four appearance, and their first championship since 2016.
Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd each had 24 points for UConn. Strong added 15 rebounds and five assists. Paige Bueckers also got into double figures with 17 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Strong had 114 points in the tournament, which is a freshman D1 record. South Carolina, who was going for back to back titles, was led by Joyce Edwards and Tessa Johnson who had 10 points a piece. The Gamecocks end up with a record of 35-4. The Huskies beat three #1 seeds in the run to the title, joining three other teams in history to do so with the last being Baylor in 2005.
UConn is the all-time leader in national championships, all under head coach Geno Auriemma. The next closest school is Tennessee who won eight under the legendary Pat Summitt. UConn ends the season at 37-3 in what was their 36th tournament appearance overall.
