Sarah Strong's Fantastic Final Four Sends UConn to Title Game

A sterling effort from Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong propelled the University of Connecticut Huskies back to the national championship game.

Apr 4, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; Connecticut Huskies forward Sarah Strong (21) high fives Connecticut Huskies guard Azzi Fudd (35) during first half in a semifinal of the women's 2025 NCAA tournament against the UCLA Bruins at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The past, present, and future united to pen the latest chapter in the University of Connecticut's latest conquest on the women's hardwood.

UConn made quick work of UCLA in the latter half of Friday's Final Four action in Tampa, as the Huskies bashed the Bruins to the tune of an 85-51 tally that punched their ticket to their 13th national championship game. They now have a shot at vengeance for their lone loss in the title game, as they'll face South Carolina in a rematch of the 2022 final on Sunday afternoon (3 p.m. ET, ABC).

Sarah Strong was once again brilliant in her first foray in a new round: with 22 points, she became just the third freshman in Storrs history to reach a double-decade in a Final Four game, joining the illustrious company of Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart.

Azzi Fudd got in the scoring fun with 19 points to headline the early takeover in the first half while Paige Bueckers handled facilitation with three steals. Bueckers partly headlined a sterling defensive effort for the Huskies (36-3) who limited the Burins to 25 percent from three-point range, with their starters hitting just 1-of-9.

Bueckers and Fudd had three steals each but neither was good enough for the team lead, as Jana El-Alfy had four. That helped yield 13 fastbreak points for the Huskies, who let up only four from the hapless Bruins.

UConn's Tampa takeover began immediately: Fudd, totaling just 18 points on 7-of-17 from the field in the prior two games, stole the opening possession from Londynn Jones and turn it into an immediate double. It was 9-8 nine seconds after the midway mark but UConn closed the frame on a 14-3 run capped off by Bueckers' buzzer-beating jumper.

That created a permanent double-figure lead for UConn, which held onto its massive advantage despite Lauren Betts' efforts to keep the Bruins afloat. The only drama from there on out was how many turnovers the Huskies would force (19) and if UConn would win by its largest margin (which it did at 34).

Accounting for just over half of Westwood's points at 26, Betts was the only Bruin to reached double-figures in scoring. Thus ends a historic season for UCLA (34-3), which set a program record in single-season victories and was partaking in its first Final Four.

The Huskies will now look to avenge their 2022 group, which fell by a 64-49 final to Aaliyah Boston and the Gamecocks. Bueckers, Fudd, and Caroline Ducharme are the leftover participants on the team that partook in that game while South Carolina retains Bree Hall. UConn previously prevailed by an 87-58 non-conference final back in February, a win that ended South Carolina's 71-game winning streak in Columbia.

Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags