UConn dispatches Notre Dame to reach Women's Final Four - ESPN

FORT WORTH, Texas — No. 1 UConn has made a lot look easy during its 54-game win streak and undefeated 2025-26 campaign — 30-point wins, dazzling highlights from stars Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong, breezing through conference play and Power 4 competition with only one game decided by single digits.

Sunday's Elite Eight game, though, was the opposite of that, as the Huskies grinded out a 70-52 victory against No. 6 seed Notre Dame to secure their 25th Final Four appearance and 17th in the past 18 tournaments.

UConn (38-0) will next play the winner of No. 1 South Carolina-No. 3 TCU for a spot in the national championship game.

The Huskies' typically high-powered offense stalled early Sunday as Fudd and Strong were quiet by their standards. The Irish, who had lost to UConn by 38 points in January, played deservingly of being on this stage, with star Hannah Hidalgo leading the charge.

Both teams knew their earlier matchup was irrelevant. The Irish had won 10 of their past 11 games, knocking off No. 2 seed Vanderbilt to advance to their first Elite Eight under coach Niele Ivey. The Huskies had even more of a target on their back in the months since the blowout, as another national championship and undefeated season are tantalizingly within reach.

This was the ninth meeting between the rivals in the NCAA tournament but the first time they had met with a Final Four berth at stake. And it was apparent early that whoever could withstand the initial defensive slog would punch their ticket to Phoenix.

The 10 combined points by Strong and Fudd in the first half were the fewest by the duo in a first half all season. The Huskies, however, were buoyed by 12 first-quarter points from freshman Blanca Quiñonez.

The Irish cut the deficit to