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