UConn vs. South Carolina RECAP: Highlights, stats, box score, results as Paige Bueckers, big three lead UConn to first title since 2016

See the full box score here.

Fudd put up 24 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 assist

UConn wins its 12th national title after the Huskies’ longest drought since winning their first championship in 1995. Connecticut last won in 2016.

UConn freshman and former No. 1 recruit Sarah Strong chose the Huskies over the Gamecocks. She was expected to choose South Carolina, especially with her mom, Allison Feaster, growing up in South Carolina and being a former WNBA teammate/friend of Dawn Staley But nope — she felt more comfortable with the players and coaches and UConn’s playing style. A year later, look how it turned out? A billboard for trusting your gut.

UConn is up by 30+ points and 4 minutes from a national title.

This is turning into a bit of a blowout, folks. UConn’s 12th national title is only 10 minutes away from becoming a reality barring an incredible comeback from the Gamecocks.

UConn is up by 20 as the 3rd comes to a close, and the MVP of this game hasn’t been Paige Bueckers, but Azzi Fudd (24 points) and Sarah Strong (17 points). Combined they have nearly as many points as SC.

UConn is keeping the pressure on, and South Carolina just isn’t bridging the gap right now.

UConn extended its lead with two free throws from Azzi Fudd to start the second half, but Chloe Kitts answered with a layup, making it 38-28 with 8 minutes left in the 3rd.

UConn ended the half with a three-pointer from Ashlynn Shade, assisted by Paige Bueckers.

Prior to Johnson’s 3, South Carolina hadn’t scored in nearly 5 minutes.

Despite leading, UConn is 0-6 on three-pointers.

After some early back and forth, UConn was able to keep South Carolina from scoring the final 4 minutes of the 1st.

There have been five lead changes already this game. There were 0 when these teams met in 2022.

South Carolina has great depth this season but has been notoriously slow to start. UConn, on the other hand, typically comes out swinging. So far, the Gamecocks have matched the Huskies’ energy, making sure they don’t get in an early hole that could be hard to get out of.

Te-Hina Paopao made a three-point jumper to get South Carolina on the board first. Assisted by Raven Johnson.

We are underway at Amalie Arena!

We’re 45 minutes out from tip-off at 3 p.m. ET. Reminder the game is on ABC, ESPN+, and Disney+.

• Guard Morgan Cheli played through an undisclosed injury or several weeks before it was announced on February 21 that she would miss the remainder of the season. The freshman guard provided depth for the team off the bench.
• Forward Ayanna Patterson has battled setback after setback in her sophomore season. She was injured during a preseason practice in October and then suffered another setback before undergoing surgery on December 16.

South Carolina lost star forward Ashley Watkins when she tore the ACL in her left knee during their January 5 game against Mississippi State.

Prior to her injury, she was averaging 7.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game.

This heavyweight meeting between all-time coaching greats Dawn Staley and Geno Auriemma is just the latest in a head-to-head history dating back to Staley’s playing career.

Yes, Auriemma has been coaching that long. In fact, Auriemma said he doesn’t think Staley will be taking it easy on him in this game because of his senior citizen status. “I don’t think she’s going to have any sympathy for me come Sunday, Auriemma said.

Auriemma and Staley are plenty familiar with one another, having connections through Philadelphia, the University of Virginia, and USA Basketball. On the court, Auriemma leads their previous head-to-head matchups, 9-5, but Staley has won five of their last seven meetings, including the 2022 title game.

Both are top five all-time in national championships, with Auriemma’s 11 titles leading and Staley tied for fourth with three titles of her own.

Can Dawn Staley and Co. win their third title in four years? All of the Gamecocks championships have come under the former first round draft pick who, at just 54, is already an all-time coaching great.

South Carolina also won in 2017 (67-55 over Mississippi State), 2022 (64-49 over UConn), and in 2024 (87-75 over Iowa). Those are all of the Gamecocks’ title game appearance. So far, when Staley makes it to the big game, her team has delivered. This year, that team is plenty talented, but it lacks the blatant star power of a Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark, or Kamilla Cardoso. This team’s strength is its depth.

UConn is eyeing its 12th national championship Sunday — all have been won under legendary head coach Geno Auriemma, who at 71 is in his 40th season with the Huskies.

But there’s been a drought in Storrs since 2016, when Auriemma and Co. won their last of four straight titles at the time. They came close in 2022, losing to South Carolina, 64-49. What a storybook ending it would be to send Paige Bueckers off to the WNBA with a national title — seemingly the only thing her storied college career doesn’t have — as a parting gift.

• With one last game at UConn, Paige Bueckers has one last chance at a national title

TAMPA, Fla. — Something is going to happen on Sunday afternoon that is going to feel more than a little weird. We’re going to see Paige Bueckers in a Connecticut basketball jersey for the very last time.

• UConn-South Carolina women’s championship game a clash of titans in the sport

On Sunday, UConn will either win its 12th national championship — all coming under legendary head coach Geno Auriemma — or Dawn Staley’s South Carolina program will win its third title in four years.

LOS ANGELES — JuJu Watkins is adding more hardware to her trophy case.

The Southern California sophomore guard won the John R. Wooden Award as the nation’s outstanding women’s basketball player on Saturday. She beat out UConn’s Paige Bueckers, who won in 2021, by 46 votes.

Watkins was honored as the The Associated Press player of the year on Friday.

The other finalists were Lauren Betts of UCLA, Madison Booker of Texas and Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame.

Voting took place from March 11-24 by a national panel of sportswriters and sportscasters, along with former Wooden Award winners.

The trophy will be presented April 11 at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

Watkins averaged 24.6 points per game for the Trojans before suffering a season-ending ACL injury in their second-round NCAA Tournament win over Mississippi State.

UConn (36-3) and South Carolina (35-3) last played on February 16, when the Huskies blew out the Gamecocks, 87-58.

Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks — the defending national champs — are undefeated since that loss. Geno Auriemma’s team has also won out since.

The Huskies have been dominant in the tournament so far, winning all of their matchups by at least 14 points and obliterating UCLA, 85-51.

The Gamecocks haven’t looked as unstoppable throughout tourney play, but they destroyed Texas in their semifinal, 74-57.

UConn is 11-2 in title games while South Carolina is 3-0, including last year’s triumph.

Game odds for UConn vs. South Carolina

The latest odds as of Saturday courtesy of BetMGM:

• Odds: UConn Huskies (-250), South Carolina Gamecocks (+210)
• Spread: Huskies -6.5
• Total: 132.5 points

Read more of our expert predictions here.

Tampa is hosting a record fourth women’s Final Four. Amalie Arena also hosted in 2008, 2015, and 2019 when Tenneessee, UConn, and Baylor won, respectively.

New Orleans was supposed to have already hosted the Final Four four times, but the fourth event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Amalie Arena is located in downtown Tampa’s vibrant Channelside District and opened in October 1996. The arena seats approximately 20,500 for basketball games.

Its main tenant is the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, who has called the arena home since 1996. Other previous teams that have called Amalie home? The AFL’s Tampa Bay Storm from 1997-2017 and the NBA’s Toronto Raptors for a brief stint from 2020-2021.

Before being dubbed Amalie Arena, it was called the Ice Palace from 1996-2002, the St. Pete Times Forum from 2002-2012, and the Tampa Bay Times Forum from 2012-2014. The arena now gets its name from Amalie Oil Company.

The game is set to begin at 3 p.m. ET. You can watch on ABC, ESPN+, and Disney+.