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Even UConn’s Azzi Fudd Couldn’t Believe Sarah Strong's Stats in First Half vs. SC

Kristen Wong

UConn's Sarah Strong goes up against South Carolina in the national championship game.
UConn's Sarah Strong goes up against South Carolina in the national championship game. / Erick W Rasco / Sports Illustrated
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The UConn-South Carolina NCAA championship game has delivered in the first half, with the Huskies looking to win their first title since 2016 and the Gamecocks trying to defend their crown.

UConn will likely need to rely on its offensive trifecta of Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong to topple No. 1 South Carolina, and one of those players has already performed above and beyond.

Strong, the Huskies' standout freshman, has dominated in the paint and on the glass with eight points and a whopping 11 rebounds to help UConn build a 36-26 lead at the half.

When ESPN's Holly Rowe relayed that stat to Fudd during a quick halftime interview, Fudd looked pretty surprised herself:

Strong also has two steals and two blocks, living up to her billing as a fierce rim protector in the biggest game of her young college career thus far.

Bueckers, however, has yet to get going, shooting 3-of-9 from the field for just eight points.

We'll see if UConn can hold onto its double-digit lead in the second half.

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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

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