UConn wins its 12th national championship after dominating South Carolina.

After Nine Years, UConn Returns to the Top with 12th National Title

It took nine years, but UConn is back on top. The No. 2 seed Huskies earned their 12th national championship Sunday night after a dominant 82-59 victory over No. 1 seed South Carolina, capping off a run that also included wins over top seeds USC and UCLA. The title carries extra meaning—not just for the win, but for the long and challenging journey it took to get there.

After winning four straight championships from 2013 to 2016 during the Breanna Stewart era, UConn ran into heartbreak after heartbreak—narrow defeats, crushing buzzer-beaters, and a series of injuries to key players. But on Sunday, they were back where they believe they belong: at the top of women’s college basketball.

The moment was especially poignant for senior guard Paige Bueckers, widely expected to be the No. 1 pick in the upcoming WNBA draft. As she exited the game with just over a minute remaining, she buried her face into coach Geno Auriemma’s shoulder, tears flowing. Her long road, filled with setbacks and doubts, had finally led to a national championship.

"It's been a story of resilience, of gratitude, of overcoming adversity and just responding to life's challenges," Bueckers said.

With Bueckers and fellow guard Azzi Fudd finally healthy at the same time, and the nation’s top freshman, forward Sarah Strong, playing at a historic level, UConn looked like its old championship self—dominant, deep, and unrelenting. Fudd and Strong each scored 24 points, while Bueckers added 17. Fudd was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.

South Carolina, who entered the game hoping to repeat as champions, couldn’t keep up. Freshman Joyce Edwards and sophomore Tessa Johnson led the Gamecocks with just 10 points apiece—the lowest total ever by a leading scorer in a women’s NCAA final. They finished the season 35-4.

The Huskies’ 23-point win tied for the third-largest margin of victory in championship game history. UConn now has 12 Final Four wins by 20 or more points—more than the rest of Division I women’s basketball combined.

“They did a masterful job executing on both sides of the basketball,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said.

Before the game, Bueckers was asked how she wanted to be remembered at UConn.

"As a great teammate, a great leader," she said. "Somebody people love to play with. Somebody who wore the UConn jersey with pride."

Now, she’ll also be remembered as a champion—something that, for a while, seemed in doubt.

Since their 111-game winning streak ended on a buzzer-beater in the 2017 Final Four, the Huskies had fallen short time and time again—semifinal losses in 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2024; a title game loss to South Carolina in 2022; and a missed Final Four in 2023, largely due to injuries, including Bueckers’ season-ending knee injury.

Even last year, without Fudd, UConn pushed Caitlin Clark and Iowa to the brink but lost by two in the semifinal. The pressure heading into this season was immense.

This UConn squad wasn’t perfect—six previous title teams finished undefeated—but after a loss at Tennessee on Feb. 6, the Huskies didn’t drop another game. They swept the Big East regular-season and tournament titles, then tore through the NCAA tournament with signature wins over three No. 1 seeds to finish 37-3.

They set the tone early Sunday, jumping out to a 19-14 lead after a fast-paced, physical first quarter. UConn shot 52.9% in the opening frame, holding South Carolina to 40%. Unlike UCLA in the semifinal, the Gamecocks found good looks but couldn’t finish.

Strong’s emphatic block of a Raven Johnson layup early in the second quarter was one of several statements made by the freshman phenom, who scored 24 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and dished out five assists. She set a new NCAA tournament record for points by a freshman with 114, surpassing Tamika Catchings’ 111 from 1998. That year, Strong’s mother, Allison Feaster, led 16-seed Harvard to a historic upset of No. 1 seed Stanford—before enjoying a decade-long WNBA career.

Strong is also the first player in NCAA tournament history to post at least 100 points, 25 assists, and 10 blocks in a single run since blocks became official in 1988.

"I did better than I was expecting," said the typically reserved Strong.

Staley even said Strong could become the best Husky ever—high praise, given the program's legendary alumni: Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, Swin Cash, and recent Hall of Fame inductees Maya Moore and Sue Bird, who were honored during Sunday’s game.

UConn hit just one three-pointer in the first half, but it was a big one—Ashlynn Shade nailed it from the left corner with nine seconds before halftime, giving the Huskies a 36-26 edge.

They never looked back. With a double-digit lead at halftime, UConn moved to 91-2 all-time in NCAA tournament games in that position. The few losses came in 2001 against Notre Dame and in 1989 versus La Salle.

Back then, in 1989, Auriemma was coaching in his first NCAA tournament. Now, in his 40th season, the 71-year-old became the oldest coach in Division I history—men’s or women’s—to win a national title.

Auriemma admitted he’s considered retiring multiple times in recent years but always found renewed purpose at practice.

"I think there are a lot of people counting on me—my team, my staff—to keep doing what we do," he said. "Maybe what this championship means is that there were a lot of people who didn’t think it would ever happen again. I’m glad we proved them wrong.

"In the past 30 years, I don’t think any program has meant more to its sport than UConn has meant to women’s basketball."