STORRS – The basketball capital of the world was rocking Sunday afternoon.
When Paige Bueckers came out of the national championship game at Amelie Arena in Tampa – with her first NCAA title well in hand – and hugged UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma, the students inside Gampel Pavilion screamed and screamed. There may have been some tears in the crowd as a clearly emotional Bueckers hugged everyone down the UConn bench.
When the final score came up on the big screen, 82-59, with UConn women winning their first title since 2016 and the third straight by the men’s and women’s programs, the noise in Gampel was deafening.
And the fans weren’t even on court level – only the upper stands were filled. But judging by the noise level, it seemed like a full house.
It was the UConn women basketball team’s 12th national championship.
Blue and white confetti littered the concourse after the game as students filed out. The UConn band played one last time on the court.
The players will return home Monday for another championship celebration with their fans.
“I love the women’s basketball team,” said Trinity Nguyen, a freshman from Glastonbury who was wearing a Kaitlyn Chen jersey, before the game. “This is the moment of the year.”
There were mostly No. 5 Paige Bueckers jerseys in the crowd, a few Sarah Strong jerseys. The cheers got louder and louder when the Huskies came out on to the court at Amelie Arena for introductions and Bueckers got the biggest cheer.
Jake Castellano, a junior from Deep River, had to go with Bueckers as his favorite player.
“The energy for Paige Bueckers, I mean, she was out (with an injury) and this is her last season so there’s probably a little bit more energy for her,” he said.
After the game, the large crowd of students moved out of Gampel onto the street in front of the arena. It was a peaceful gathering, unlike two years ago when the UConn men won the national championship and there was vandalism on campus and people were injured and arrested.
“Bringing everyone together in one spot – you feel the energy,” Castellano said. “It’s 3 p.m. on a Sunday, this is usually a time we’d be doing homework. So it’s great to get excited about something like this.”
When Bueckers scored and got fouled with 7:45 left in the game, the UConn bench went crazy on the big screen and Gampel did too.
Zoe Yoo, a freshman from Cedar Knolls, N.J., said moments like Sunday were one of the reasons she came to UConn.
“It’s amazing,” Yoo said. “It’s one of the few times a year where everyone unites around the sport. The energy is amazing. You don’t get that everywhere.”
And after the crowd cleared out, the championship banners hung quietly near the ceiling. The banner from 2016 was the last for the women’s team; that one will have to be moved over now to add No. 12.
