UConn Huskies rout UCLA Bruins 85-51 to clinch National Championship Berth.

USA Today

For the UConn Huskies, the basket seemed like an ocean. No shots seemed to miss as they routed the two-seeded UCLA Bruins 85-51 to clinch their 13th national championship berth in program history.  It was the largest Final Four victory in Huskies history.

Huskies senior Azzi Fudd led the way with a hot shooting in the first half, scoring 19 points. That led the Huskies as she shot 58% from the field and 60% from three.Her superstar teammate and Big East Player of the Year [Paige Bueckers] was quiet to start after missing her first two shots from deep before converting her first field goal with 4:02 in the first.

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 The Bruins, however, came out aggressively to start, attacking the basket as their first 10 points came from within the restricted area as AP All-American Lauren Betts led the charge. Husky freshman center Jane El Alfy was doing a great job early on fronting Betts defensively, making her work to gain position on the interior. 

UCLA had six turnovers with just under three minutes to go in the first but, luckily, were down by just seven. That changed after an Azzi Fudd three that put the Huskies up 10. The Huskies continuously tried doubling Betts down low, who was a mismatch nightmare every time she touched the ball as she scored the next possession down.

Betts scored seven of the Bruins’ 13 points in the first. Bueckers capitalized on a strong quarter for the Huskies with a left baseline fall-away jumper to put the Huskies back up 10. Both teams shot over 50% from the field in the opening quarter. The Huskies went 3-of-7 from downtown, while the Bruins relied on attacking the basket, attempting just two threes in the first quarter.

In the second, the Huskies started utilizing a 2-3 zone to make it challenging for Betts to impose her will in one-on-one matchups. El Alfy went out with foul trouble after committing her second personal on a moving screen with 8:27 to go in the half. Bruin's careless turnovers were haunting them, and they were highlighted by an unforced Janiah Barker turnover that resulted in an Ice Brady left elbow jumper.

The Bruins cut the deficit to 10 after a Kiki Rice three. Fudd’s hot shooting continued as she drained five points in 35 seconds to give her 16, and the basket seemed like the ocean for her. Buecker's shot struggled, but she did all the other little things to help her team win. Whether it was playing stifling defense, contesting outside shooters, or beautiful touch passes in transition, such as her beautiful touch pass to Kaitlyn Chen that put the Huskies back up 17 and forced a Bruins timeout.

Fudd turned into a flood avalanche as her hot shooting continued with her third three, giving her 19 in the half and putting the Huskies up 20, as the game seemed to be slipping away from the Bruins. Fudd’s 19 points were almost as much as the Bruins, who finished with 22 on just 20% from three and 41% from the field. She did it in various ways, from driving to the basket for floaters and being a sniper from three. 

The Huskies are now 12-0 this season when Fudd scores 15+ points. 

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The Huskies ball movement continues to keep the Bruin’s defense off-balance. The Bruins seemed to be going through the motions, missing easy bunnies at the rim to crease into the Huskies lead. They looked directionless offensively as the Huskies' lead bloomed larger.

The Huskies continued to run and get out in transition. Big East Freshman of the Year Sarah Strong put the Huskies up 25 after a transition layup. She finished with 22 points and eight rebounds and became the third UConn freshman in history (Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart) to score 20+ points in a Final Four game.

Bueckers subbed out of the game with 5:10 remaining, and the rest of the starters followed moments later. The Huskies' lead ballooned to over 30, and a national championship berth seemed imminent. 

The Huskies closed it out 85-51 with their Big Three (Bueckerss, Fudd, Strong) combining for 57 of the Huskies 85. Meanwhile, Betts was the only Bruin to score in double figures for the Bruins, finishing with 26 points and five rebounds. The team shot a miserable 25% from the floor. 

 After a masterful performance, Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma was humbled by his team's dominant performance. 

"It's amazing how it played out," Auriemma said. "When you go in there, you don't expect, 'Hey, we're going to win by 35 points tonight.' I mean, that's, oh my god. That is just so, so unrealistic."

The Huskies clinch their 13th National Championship appearance, entering with an 11-1 record. They're one win away from their first national championship since 2016.