How UConn beat South Carolina to win the women’s NCAA championship

TAMPA, Fla. — UConn beat South Carolina on Sunday to win its 12th overall NCAA title and first since 2016.

How did the Huskies win it? ESPN’s reporters were on site for live updates and analysis.

Jump to: Analysis and result | Relive the action

Postgame analysis

Final: UConn 82, South Carolina 59

How UConn beat South Carolina to win the title: UConn won behind the big performance of its big three: Paige Bueckers, Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd. Their combined 65 points outscored South Carolina’s total for the game. Strong had a double-double with 24 points and 15 rebounds, Bueckers finished with 17 points and Fudd scored 24. They are the first trio of teammates to each score 100 points in an NCAA tournament since the 2009 UConn group of Maya Moore, Renee Montgomery and Tina Charles. Strong is the first player in history to have at least 20 points, 15 boards and 5 assists in the national championship game.

Pivotal moment: The Huskies outscored South Carolina 26-16 in the third quarter to open an insurmountable 20-point lead. There wasn’t a big deluge of a run, but the Huskies closed the quarter on a 9-3 mini run and never looked back. If the first half was UConn grinding out a 10-point lead, the third quarter was the pivot point to a complete blow out.

Pivotal player: Fudd had herself a day! Building on a strong semifinal performance, the guard scored 24 points and had 3 steals, including two scoop and scores. She was aggressive on both ends of the floor. On offense, she eschewed the 3-point line for much of the game and attacked the paint. She only shot 1-for-6 from beyond the arc. Defensively, South Carolina was 2-for-10 with one turnover when Fudd was the primary defender. — Katie Barnes