PHOENIX -- The first Women’s Final Four in Phoenix came with plenty of history if not drama in a second half of a resounding UCLA win. The national championship before a sellout crowd of 15,856 at Mortgage Matchup Center had the feel of a home game for the Bruins, who claimed their first NCAA title with a 28-point win over South Carolina. UCLA previously won a national title in the AIAW in 1978. The Final Four here marked the first time the event had been held in the West since Denver hosted in 2012.
The Easter Sunday game culminated an event that saw Phoenix, no stranger to hosting other major sports events, turn into the center of women’s basketball. The Phoenix Final Four Local Organizing Committee set up free fan sites Tourney Town and Four It All at the convention center, a block away from the arena. With attendance under 16,000 for the national semifinals on Friday, the event marked the lowest attendance since 2016 (save for the 2021 Final Four during the covid pandemic). The arena’s capacity at just under 17,000 is less than the past four hosts, which all had attendance over 18,000.
“This has been a phenomenal week celebrating women’s sport, but really delivering on an amazing Women’s Final Four,” said Jay Parry, CEO of the Phoenix Final Four Local Organizing Committee. “All of our community came together and we’re really proud of how we showed up in all the aspects.”
The event drew leaders from around the industry, including Women’s Sports Foundation CEO Danette Leighton; SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey; Women Leaders in Sports CEO Patti Phillips; Togethxr co-founder Jessica Robertson; Deloitte LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games Leader Pete Giorgio and Round 21 CEO Jasmine Maietta.
