TAMPA, Fla. — UConn came into the NCAA Tournament with arguably the biggest upside of any team, and that was realized Sunday as the Huskies capped the season with their 12th NCAA championship.
The Huskies, led by stellar performances from guard Azzi Fudd and post Sarah Strong, defeated South Carolina 82-59 to win the title, denying the Gamecocks their back-to-back title bid. Fudd led the game with 24 points and shot 9-for-17 from the field, and the freshman Strong had 24 as well, adding 15 rebounds.
UConn got a stellar performance from both of them while South Carolina focused much of its defensive scheme on stopping Paige Bueckers. Bueckers, the expected No. 1 pick in April’s WNBA Draft, had just 17 points and six rebounds but didn’t have to force much with Fudd and Strong taking over the game. That is why UConn has been so good this year — the Huskies have a counter for every defense.
As for South Carolina, the Gamecocks had no answer on the defensive end and couldn’t find an offensive playmaker to break down the UConn defense. South Carolina was led by Tessa Johnson and Joyce Edwards, who each had 10 points. But this will be a question Dawn Staley has to answer next season — where will she find more consistent scoring?
With 1:32 left in the game, Bueckers checked…
