Paige Bueckers is Finally, the champion.
After completing each of her outstanding careers for the last four but never reaching the top of the mountain, she UConn’s last game Ending with a national championship.
The Huskimos won their 12th title by defeating defending champion Gamecocks of South Carolina 82-59 on Sunday.
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Connecticut Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma played against South Carolina Gamecocks guard Paige Bueckers in the second half at Amalie Arena’s national title in the 2025 Women’s NCAA Championship. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn image)
It was UConn’s first title since 2015, ending its longest drought since winning its first title in 1995.
Bueckers was eliminated from the game with a 1:32 mark and she couldn’t share a long hug with the head coach and couldn’t keep her emotions Geno Auriemma.
After the game, ESPN asked Auriemma what he said to his star players, and he kept it simple while enduring his own tears.
“I love you,” he said. “That’s what you can say.”
Connecticut Huskies defender Paige Bueckers’ reaction to the South Carolina Gamecocks in the first half was in the National Championship Game of Amalie Arena’s 2025 Women’s NCAA Championship. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn image)
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Later, Bueckers was asked what she said to the coach.
She joked, “I told him I hated him.”
It’s the roller coaster of Bueckers, whose career has the highest 19.9 points in UConn history, with elite alumni. But she tore her ACL in 2022, forcing her to miss the entire season.
The Bueckers are part of the only team in UConn history to lose the national championship game before being injured, and they haven’t stood out from last year’s last four games.
But on Sunday, she finally won 17 points on the way.
Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers hopes to shoot against South Carolina Gamecocks in the first half of the National Championship at the Amalie Arena Women’s 2025 NCAA Championship. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn image)
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The Bueckers also scored the UConn record for the highest score in March Crazy Score, the third place ever.
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