- The University of Connecticut won the 2025 Women’s NCAA Tournament on Sunday. The Huskies defeated South Carolina 82-59 to claim their 12th national championship, and first since 2016.
- Paige Bueckers finished her career with 477 points in the NCAA Tournament, third most all-time, while Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong co-led the Huskies with 24 points each.
- Coach Geno Auriemma reflected on ending their championship drought, expressing emotional gratitude for his team’s journey and transformation throughout the season.
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The University of Connecticut won the 2025 Women’s NCAA Tournament, defeating South Carolina 82-59 to claim its 12th national championship, and first since 2016.
Coach Geno Auriemma, who led UConn to its first national title in 1995, spoke to ESPN after the game, reflecting on ending their championship drought.
“It’s because these players make me want to hang in there every day,” Auriemma said as he fought back tears. “This team has changed so much from the beginning of the season — if people only knew, we had a preseason scrimmage and we lost the scrimmage. I didn’t think we would make the NCAA Tournament.
Auriemma went on to say, “They’ve all been gratifying, don’t get me wrong, but this title here, because of the way they came about and what’s been involved, it’s been a long time since I was that emotional when the players walked off the court.”
Despite being limited to 17 points on 5 of 14 shooting, Paige Bueckers ended her college career with her first national title. Bueckers finished with 477 career points in the NCAA Tournament, clinching the third-most career points of all time.
Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong co-led the Huskies, each scoring 24 points. Strong set a record for most points in an NCAA Tournament by a freshman and is the first freshman since at least 2010 to record at least four double-doubles in a tournament. Fudd was named the Final Four Most Valuable Player.
South Carolina’s defeat ensures that no team has repeated as national champions since UConn won four in a row from 2013-16.