Connecticut pulled away from South Carolina in the third quarter in a decisive return to the top of women's college basketball, winning its 12th national championship, 82-59, on Sunday as a crowd of 19,777 watched at Tampa’s Amalie Arena.
Among the fans were James Perkins who came from Washington, D.C. On Sunday, he was supporting UConn since his school, Southern California, was eliminated a week earlier by the Huskies in the Elite Eight.
MORE ON THE GAME: Huskies are champs again with dominating win over Gamecocks
"I think with women's basketball, they're going to continue to grow, and I think what they are demonstrating now is that they deserve everything they're getting and more," Perkins said. "And we hope you know that there's a way for things to be more equitable."
This was the fourth time Tampa has been host to the NCAA Division I women's Final Four (previous visits were in 2008, 2015 and 2019).
Saturday semifinals crowd was announced at 19,731, and Perkins said he loved that crowds of nearly 20,000 attended both days. He said he expects future women's Final Fours will be packed for years to come.
John Vampatella works at UConn and attended the game with his daughter, who also coaches basketball. He says he is thrilled about the growth of women's sports but especially basketball.
"I really don't understand, especially male fans who say, 'I don't love women's basketball.' I'm like, 'How can you not love this?' This is incredible theater. It's great basketball," he said. "Plus it gives great opportunities for girls to have mentors to look up to, exemplars to look up to and think for themselves, like,'I could do that too.' "
Vampatella says he's really happy to see his team, including legendary coach Geno Auriemma, back cutting down the net.
Azzi Fudd, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, scored 24 points. Sarah Strong had 24 points and 15 rebounds, and Paige Bueckers scored 17 points for UConn (37-3).
Bueckers capped a stellar career with the Huskies' first championship since 2016, ending a nine-year title drought for the team. That was longest for Auriemma and his Huskies since the team won its first championship in 1995.
Defending champion South Carolina (35-4) fell short in its attempt to capture back-to-back titles and its third in four years.
Much of downtown Tampa was festooned with basketball regalia during the four-day Final Four celebration.
Kate Delucia, who lives in the Tampa Bay region, has followed women's sports since she was in elementary school in Connecticut. She last attended the Women's Final Four in 2019 in Tampa.
"It's so great to see all the different events and activities around the whole Tampa Bay area, along the Riverwalk and the convention center," she said. "I'm just so thrilled that women's basketball is getting the spotlight it really deserves."
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
