“Everyone Watches Women’s Sports.” A statement that challenges the notion that women’s sports are unpopular or widely unwatched.
Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Sunday April 6, 2025.
The Women’s March Madness Final was between the UConn Huskies and the (returning) South Carolina Gamecocks. UConn senior superstar, Paige Bueckers has been making noise in the basketball world even since before her signing to UConn. A bittersweet night for Bueckers being that it’s her last college game before she declares for the 2025 WNBA draft, while South Carolina wishes to go back to back after their outstanding, undefeated championship season the year prior.
As the championship tipped off, the energy in the arena was buzzing, everyone bracing for a showdown between two powerhouse programs. Both teams came out aggressive in man-to-man defense, setting off a physical tone early. South Carolina guard Te-Hina Paopao came off a screen to nail a three-pointer to get the game started, only for UConn freshman Sarah Strong to answer right back with a jumper for two. With four minutes left in the first quarter, UConn senior Azzi Fudd picked MiLaysia Fulwileys pocket near half court and darted away for a fast-break layup, giving the Huskies a burst of momentum. Then, with just five seconds remaining, Paige Bueckers and Sarah Strong connected on a slick give-and-go, capped by Bueckers knocking down a midrange jumper to close the quarter with UConn up 19–14.
UConn came out hot to start the second quarter, with Paige Bueckers and Sarah Strong reconnecting on another give-and-go in the same spot as before and the very next possession, Bueckers spotted Strong slipping backdoor and gave a perfect pass for an easy layup. On the defensive end, Strong stepped up again, denying Raven Johnson’s drive with a clean block. But South Carolina responded quickly. Joyce Edwards drove hard and floated in a tough shot over Strong, and on the next play, she found Sania Feagin cutting quickly through the lane for a layup, pulling the Gamecocks right back into the mix. But even with South Carolina’s push, they couldn’t extinguish the Huskies’ fire. Sarah Strong denied Paopao’s driving layup, grabbed the rebound, and kicked it out to Azzi Fudd. Fudd quickly advanced the ball up the floor, and after some sharp ball movement, Ashlynn Shade drove, then dished it back to Fudd. Fudd took one dribble and drained a jumper for two. South Carolina’s Tessa Johnson answered with a block on Strong, and after a brief timeout, Strong came out and responded with a layup.
South Carolina guard MiLaysia Fulwileys, desperate to make a play while being down by nine, attempts to get into the lane but is met by Azzi Fudd who gets her hand on the ball and knocks it loose. Fudd sped down the floor with Fulwiley in pursuit and makes the layup, extending UConn’s lead to eleven points with three minutes left in the second quarter. The Gamecocks were able to make some plays in the last 2 minutes, with Raven Johnson blocking Kaitlyn Chen’s layup and a made three-pointer from Tessa Johnson, assisted by Fuwiley. And just before the buzzer, Ashlynn Shade was able to bury a corner three off a sharp assist from Bueckers, sending the Huskies into halftime with a 36–26 lead.
“Reading what they give us, not getting outside of ourselves, staying slow, staying calm, and using ball screens,” said Azzi Fudd during her halftime interview, when asked how she was able to find her spots and get going offensively, and that she did. Right out of the gate in the third quarter, South Carolina’s Chloe Kitts went one-on-one with Sarah Strong, backed her down into the paint, hit a spin move, and finished strong with her left hand through contact. A couple possessions later, Fudd responded, blowing by Kitts and floating one up over the help defender. With five minutes left and South Carolina down by 15, the two teams traded buckets. Fudd made freshman Joyce Edwards stumble before pulling up for a clean mid-range jumper. On the next possession, Sania Feagin posted up Ice Brady. MiLaysia Fulwiley fed Feagin the ball, and she went to work, securing the ball with both hands, turning through two defenders, and dropping in a floater. Back on offense, UConn wasn’t letting up. Sarah Strong got a clean layup off a slick assist from Fudd, and on the other end, Te-Hina Paopao found Joyce Edwards rolling to the rim, a tough finish, but she got it. Still, it was UConn’s quarter, they outscored South Carolina 26–16 and went into the fourth up 62–42.
At that point, South Carolina had been outscored every quarter and coach Dawn Staley said it best: “Bucket by bucket, stop by stop, I mean, it starts and ends with that.” But by then, it was slipping away. South Carolina managed a few buckets late, but UConn? They kept rolling. Final minute and the score is 82–53. Game sealed. Paige Buekers came off the court and into the arms of head coach Geno Auriemma, the two sharing a heartfelt moment. It’s emotional and Paige makes sure to hug every coach and every teammate. The job’s done; when the buzzer sounded, the score 82 -59, both teams on high emotion. South Carolina leaving the floor knowing they didn’t bring their best but UConn? They were flying high. A full-on dominant performance from start to finish, offense, defense, everything. A well earned championship for the Huskies, their 12th, the most in women’s college basketball history.
The Most Outstanding Player of the final Four Award, the name speaking for itself, going to Azzi Fudd after her 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals. Joined with Sarah Strong’s 24 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks and Paige Buekers 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. And just an amazing performance from UConn altogether.
“Our kids gave it all they had. When you can understand why you lost and when you’ve been on the other side of that three times, you understand it,” said Staley. “You can swallow it. We lost to a very good basketball team.” The former champions gave UConn their flowers and recognized that it just wasn’t their night. Geno Auriemma shared some words, “ You know you just never know if you’ll ever be back in this situation again. And, there were so many times when you know, I think we all question like, have we been here too long? You know, has it been time? And yet we kept hanging in there, and it’s because these players make me what to hang in there every day.” Just filled with emotion, Auriemma and UConn showed how bad they wanted this championship game especially after losing to South Carolina in 2022. These girls worked their absolute hardest to make it to the biggest stage and bring home the win.
The UConn and South Carolina 2025 Championship game drew 8.5 million viewers and peaked at 9.9 million, making it the third most-watched women’s championship game ever. So, if you’re not tuning in to women’s sports, what are you doing?
