NEW YORK — — Sarah Strong contributed 21 points, while Azzi Fudd added 18, leading No. 2 UConn to a decisive 85-52 victory over No. 22 Louisville on Saturday evening during the Women’s Champions Classic. The Huskies (8-0) established dominance early on and maintained it throughout the game. Louisville (5-4) was down by 18 after […]
NEW YORK — — Sarah Strong contributed 21 points, while Azzi Fudd added 18, leading No. 2 UConn to a decisive 85-52 victory over No. 22 Louisville on Saturday evening during the Women’s Champions Classic.
The Huskies (8-0) established dominance early on and maintained it throughout the game.
Louisville (5-4) was down by 18 after the first quarter but closed the gap to 12 at the start of the second quarter before Strong, the newest star freshman for the Huskies, got UConn refocused. She was effective both inside and outside the paint.
The Huskies were ahead 49-24 at halftime, even with All-American Paige Bueckers scoring just three points and missing all six of her attempts from the field. She registered her first point with 6:38 remaining in the half via a free throw and made her first shot early in the third quarter.
Bueckers, who entered the match averaging 20.4 points, concluded with eight points along with 10 rebounds and six assists.
Tennessee defeated No. 17 Iowa 78-68 in the opening game of the doubleheader at Barclays Center.
UConn: This marked the beginning of a sequence of four games against ranked opponents within their next five matches. The Huskies will travel to No. 10 Notre Dame next Thursday and face No. 20 Iowa State and No. 6 USC later this month in Connecticut.
Louisville: The Cardinals have suffered all four of their losses against ranked teams, with Jeff Walz’s squad also falling to UCLA, Kentucky, and Oklahoma.
The game stood at 8-5 early on before the Huskies outscored the Cardinals 20-5 for the rest of the quarter, taking control of the matchup. Ashlynn Shade contributed seven points during this surge.
UConn dominated the boards, out-rebounding Louisville 52-28.
Louisville will host Grambling State on Thursday, while UConn heads to No. 10 Notre Dame on the same night.
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