The UConn Huskies rolled past No. 1-seeded UCLA, 85-51, in the Final Four of the women’s NCAA tournament Friday night and are hoping to win their first NCAA title since 2016 and 12th under coach Geno Auriemma.
The No. 2 Huskies will face No. 1 South Carolina in the NCAA championship Sunday afternoon with everything on the line for Paige Bueckers in her final season before she goes pro. But, it’ll also mark a momentous occasion for star freshman Sarah Strong, who has been showing that the Huskies will be just fine when Bueckers enters the WNBA draft later this month.
Strong, the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2024 class, averaged 16.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists this past season and has firmly established herself as a key part of UConn’s core.
In Friday’s win over the Bruins, Strong put up a team-high 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting to join the likes of UConn legends Breanna Stewart and Maya Moore as the only Huskies freshmen to record 20 points or more in a Final Four game. Moore did it once in 2008, and Stewart did it twice in 2013.
Sarah Strong joins ELITE UConn company 💪🔥 pic.twitter.com/FOrQvvrWhO
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 5, 2025
Just pure dominance.
What those Huskies icons have that Strong doesn’t, however, is the ever-elusive NCAA title. Strong will look to change that Sunday against South Carolina.
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