No. 2 UConn took down No. 1 Stanford in a hard-nosed game to close out Friday night’s Final Four matchups. The Huskies won 63-58 to move on to their first championship game since 2016.
Both teams played tough defense from start to finish. The fourth quarter was the first to see either team score 20 or more points in the 10-minute span. UConn had 24 and Stanford 21 in that final frame.
While UConn led for over 36 minutes in the contest, its lead was never safe. The largest lead of the night was the Huskies’ eight-point lead midway through the fourth quarter.
UConn needed a complete team effort to win its 12th Final Four matchup. Minnesota native Paige Bueckers led her squad with 14 points, followed by Evina Westbrook with 12 and Christyn Williams with 10. Three other Huskies finished with eight or more points.
Frontcourt play was a big question for UConn entering this game. After losing Dorka Juhasz to a wrist injury in the Elite Eight, the Huskies seemed to be outmatched against a very lengthy Stanford team. Not only did Aaliyah Edwards and Olivia Nelson-Ododa step up with a combined 18 rebounds, but the whole team also pitched in with another 38 for a grand total of 46.
They’ll have another tall task literally and metaphorically on Sunday when they take on Aliyah Boston and the No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks. Boston brought down 18 rebounds on her own in the win over No. 1 Louisville earlier on Friday night.
UConn will face off with South Carolina on Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET.
Click here to read the quarterly updates from UConn's Final Four victory.
