TAMPA, Fla. -- In Paige Bueckers' final collegiate game, she will have the opportunity to do what she always dreamed of doing with UConn -- win a national championship.

The presumptive No.1 overall pick in this month's WNBA draft, Bueckers and the Huskies demolished No. 1 overall seed UCLA 85-51 in the national semifinal, the largest margin of victory in NCAA Final Four history, to advance to the program's 13th national title game appearance. UConn became the first team in NCAA tournament history to beat a 1-seed by 30 or more points.

The Huskies advanced to Sunday's title game against defending champion South Carolina, which they beat earlier this season in Columbia. UConn opened as a 5.5-point favorite on ESPN BET.

"At this point, anything you did prior to the season means nothing," Bueckers said. "The record is 0-0 and teams are tying to go 1-0 in the final game. So keep up the defensive intensity like we did tonight. They're a really good team. They get out in transition, they've got interior play and great guard play, so we'll have our hands full."

The Bruins finished the season 34-3 and bowed out of the tournament after making their first Final Four appearance.

Though Bueckers' title chase fuels the Huskies, UConn's dominance Friday came more from her teammates. Freshman Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd combined for 41 points, while Bueckers, who totaled 105 points in her three previous games, had a quiet night by her standards with 16 points on 7-for-17 shooting (0-for-3 from 3).

It's that talent and depth around Bueckers, who'll appear in her second national title game, that UConn coach Geno Auriemma has said throughout this season will give the Huskies their best shot at winning their 12th championship and first since 2016, when they four-peated.

"It's just so much fun to watch her play with joy and be at this stage," Bueckers said of Fudd. "You see all the ups and downs, the bad days, the good days, and to be at this spot where it's the light at the end of the tunnel and for her to perform and be at this stage, it means everything to us."

The game was effectively over in the first half, when UConn dominated on both ends and took a 42-22 halftime lead. The Huskies swarmed defensively, forcing 14 Bruins turnovers and holding them -- other than UCLA star Lauren Betts (11 points) -- to 5-for-14 shooting from the field. Betts paced UCLA with 26 points on 11-for-18 shooting, but no teammate finished with more than eight points.

UConn's offense flowed most of the way, scoring off multiple transition plays that featured jaw-dropping passes.

After an off-night in the Elite Eight with eight points, Fudd delivered on her promise to leave that poor performance in Spokane, Washington. Aggressive from the tip, she put up 19 first-half points, nearly matching the Bruins' total in the first 20 minutes. The Huskies improved to 25-1 in Fudd's career when she scores 15 or more points.

Strong carried the Huskies in the second half, scoring 14 of her 22 points. She became the third UConn freshman with at least 20 points in a Final Four game, joining Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart.

By the end of the third quarter, Fudd and Strong had as many combined points as UCLA (37).

The Bruins briefly got the deficit below 20 points early in the third, but the Huskies kept their foot on the gas from there.