Not this time: UConn spoils South Carolina’s bid for national title repeat

Confetti rained down from the ceiling of Amalie Arena on Sunday afternoon. One team remained on the floor to bask in the shower of ticker tape.  That team was UConn, not South Carolina.  The No. 2 seed Huskies dominated the No. 1 Gamecocks, 82-59, in the NCAA Tournament national championship game.

UConn led by as many as 32 points in the fourth quarter (80-48) and the Huskies’ 23-point win over South Carolina tied for the third largest scoring margin ever in an NCAA women’s national championship game (the record is 33 points).  “Much respect to UConn,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said afterward. “They did a masterful job in executing on both sides of the basketball … I have to say goodbye to a senior class that had a historic impact on our program, our game, our city and our state.”

Repeat incomplete

South Carolina’s quest for a second-straight national title came up one win short.  Had the Gamecocks defeated UConn, they would’ve been the first program to repeat as national champions since the Huskies did so from 2013 to 2016.  Instead, UConn will go home as champions for the first time since 2016 and South Carolina records its first loss in a national title game.   South Carolina’s season ends with a 35-4 record.

University of South Carolina’s Joyce Edwards (8) tussles with University of Connecticut’s Sarah Strong (21) for a loose ball during the first half of action against the University of Connecticut for the NCAA National Championship at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. on Sunday, April 6, 2025.

UConn’s Big 3 puts on a show

South Carolina ran into a buzz saw on Sunday, largely due to the success of UConn stars Azzi Fudd, Paige Bueckers and Sarah Strong.  The three combined for 65 of UConn’s 82 points and played almost the entire game.  “They was rocking,” USC guard Te-Hina Paopao. “When you got a team that’s rocking like that, you got to do everything possible to stop them and unfortunately we came up short. Kudos to them, congrats to them, they’re a really great team.”

Fudd has had a knack for scoring against South Carolina this season. She led UConn in scoring on Sunday with 24 points. When the two teams faced off in February during the regular season, Fudd scored 28 points. She shot the ball at an efficient rate (53%) Sunday after making 9 of her 17 shot attempts.  Strong, the national freshman of the year, was right behind Fudd in scoring. She scored 24 points and recorded 15 rebounds.   Bueckers finished with 17 points.

University of South Carolina’s Joyce Edwards (8) shoots as University of Connecticut’s Jana El Alfy (8) and University of Connecticut’s Sarah Strong (21) pressure during the first half of action against the University of Connecticut for the NCAA National Championship at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. on Sunday, April 6, 2025.

South Carolina’s offense goes cold

While some might point to foul calls (or lack thereof) from officials in the game as a key to South Carolina’s loss, the team’s offensive struggles were the story of the game.  The Gamecocks shot among the worst they have all season. Their field goal percentage of 34% was the lowest since shooting 33.3% against Michigan in their regular-season opener.

South Carolina was 21-for-61 from the field as a team and 4-for-16 from 3-point range. In contrast, UConn shot 48% from the field.  USC had no shortage of shot opportunities but simply failed to convert. The Gamecocks were also 10-for-23 on layups.  “I feel we missed a lot of shots,” forward Joyce Edwards said. “To be honest. I feel a lot of the easy shots we usually hit we missed. But credit to UConn’s defense. They’re in the gaps. But at the same time I feel we got to where we wanted to be.”  Every single Gamecock who touched the floor scored. Tessa Johnson and Edwards led the team in scoring with 10 apiece.

Gamecocks’ national championship history

.2017: South Carolina 67, Mississippi State 55 (Dallas)

.2022: South Carolina 64, UConn 49 (Minneapolis)

.2024: South Carolina 87, Iowa 75 (Cleveland)

.2025: UConn 82, South Carolina 59 (Tampa)