30 years after their first and nine years after their 11th, the UConn Huskies have reclaimed the national championship, winning the program’s 12th title with a domination of the South Carolina Gamecocks, 87-59, on Sunday afternoon.
Paige Bueckers closes out her college career with a championship. Sarah Strong begins hers with one. And head coach Geno Auriemma’s Huskies are, once again, women’s college basketball’s standard bearers.
Strong was sensational in her debut on the biggest stage, finishing with 24 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals. Azzi Fudd matched her with 24 points, while Bueckers scored 17 points, grabbed six boards and dished three assists.
Fudd, now a certified Gamecock killer including her 28-point performance in Columbia in February, earned the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player honor. She also provided the play the kickstarted the rout. After a four-point South Carolina flurry spurred by MiLaysia Fulwiley that cut UConn’s advantage to 11 points, 50-39, with just over three minutes remaining in the third quarter, Fudd, following a UConn timeout, cashed a corner 3. On the Huskies next possession, Strong netted a 3-pointer, and by the end of the quarter, UConn was running away with it, up by 20 points, 62-42,…
