UConn Grabs 12th National Title, Bueckers Gets Fairytale Ending

Summary:

• UConn ruled over defending champion South Carolina 82–59 in a true team effort, grabbing the 12th national title.
• Paige Bueckers contributed 17 points, capping her college career with a fairytale ending.
• Freshman Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd led the way offensively.

Paige Bueckers was never one to chase fame. The 23-year-old born in Edina, Minnesota, was never interested in being in the spotlight, even though her excellent game sent her there from the very beginning.

What matters to her has always been the people around her, with emphasis on her teammates, the women who blazed the trail before her, especially Black women, and the bigger picture of what women’s basketball in the US can be.

So it feels perfectly poetic that her final game in a UConn uniform wasn’t a solo showcase.

“Fudd: I’m Super Proud of This Entire Team.”

In the Huskies’ dominant 82–59 win over defending champs South Carolina, it wasn’t about one superstar carrying the team.

Bueckers had 17 points, seven from the free throw line, and went more than 20 minutes without making a field goal. However, that didn’t matter as the entire team managed to rise together.

Azzi Fudd, sidelined by food poisoning during their last title shot, dropped 24 points, 13 of them coming in the first half.

The 22-year-old from Arlington, Virginia, said

All of our mindset was just to be aggressive, stay locked in, stay disciplined, stay together. And that’s exactly what we did. To be able to do this for our seniors, I really don’t have words to describe what this feels like, what it means to me. But I’m super grateful and I’m super proud of this entire team.

Freshman Sarah Strong showed that the future of the program and the women’s game are in good hands. The American-French player that ESPN ranked the number one recruit in the 2024 class tallied no less than 24 points and had 15 rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and two steals.

But that was not all. KK Arnold was perfect from the field, Ashlynn Shade buried a key three after a Bueckers dish, and Kaitlyn Chen added points in the paint.

It went on like that, with every player contributing to the win. They all played like they were doing it for Paige.

Just Gratitude” From Bueckers

Bueckers’ five-year journey hasn’t been easy. Injuries robbed her of nearly two full seasons, but she came back physically and mentally stronger. Off the court, her selflessness is just as legendary, like the month she spent waking up early to cook for teammate Jana El Alfy during Ramadan.

When she exited the game with 1:32 to play, tears streamed down her face as she hugged Geno Auriemma and every teammate in sight.

Just gratitude for all that Coach has meant to me… just putting it all together in one hug what our journey has been together. It’s been just a great summary of what we have been this entire season, of being a team, staying connected, on any given night it can be anybody’s night.

Bueckers now leaves UConn to joint the 2025 WNBA Draft not just as one of the greatest to ever play there but as the heartbeat of a team that finally got it done together. The win brought UConn’s record 12th national title, which has been the first since 2016.