2 weeks Ago By Sportsnet Staff
UConn women's basketball is one step away from exacting some revenge. The Huskies took down the UCLA Bruins, 85-51, in their Final Four game on Friday to book a title rematch against the South Carolina Gamecocks. Star senior Paige Bueckers had an uncharacteristically quiet night as she finished with 16 points on seven-of-17 shooting.
All the while, freshman forward Sarah Strong led the charge with a game-high 22 points and eight rebounds and fellow senior Azzi Fudd added 19 points of her own. The Huskies jumped out to a 10-point lead by the end of the first frame and blew the game wide open from there as they outscored the Bruins 19-9 in the second quarter and never looked back. UConn's defence was especially disruptive in the victory as the Huskies racked up 13 steals en route to forcing 19 UCLA turnovers.
The Huskies ended up with a 25-7 edge on points off turnovers. Lauren Betts, unsurprisingly, was UCLA's top performer. The junior led the Bruins in both scoring and rebounding all year and did the same on Friday as she racked up a game-high 26 points on 11-of-18 shooting to go with five rebounds and two steals.
The last time UConn and SC met in a final was three years ago, and it was Dawn Staley's squad that came out victorious as they captured their first of two titles since 2022. It was the only time Geno Auriemma's Huskies had failed to win it all when making it to a final. The Gamecocks punched their ticket to the championship game by knocking off the Texas Longhorns on Friday.
It'll be a battle of old vs. new dynasties in the tournament finale on Sunday as UConn will look to win a record 12th title — and first since nabbing four consecutive women's basketball crowns from 2013-2016 — while Staley's South Carolina aims to make it back-to-back championships and three through four seasons. More to come.
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