NEW YORK — In a dominant display, Sarah Strong contributed significantly with 21 points, and Azzi Fudd added another 18 points, as the No. 2 ranked UConn Huskies decisively defeated No. 22 Louisville, finishing the game 85-52 during the Women’s Champions Classic on Saturday night.
UConn (8-0) established an early lead and maintained control throughout the match. Louisville (5-4) fell behind by 18 points after the first quarter but managed to narrow the gap to 12 early in the second quarter. However, Strong, a standout freshman for the Huskies, quickly helped extend the lead with her scoring prowess both inside the paint and from outside the arc.
By halftime, UConn had built a substantial 49-24 advantage, even with All-American Paige Bueckers struggling, having scored only three points and missing all six of her shot attempts in the first half. She finally got on the scoreboard with a free throw at 6:38 left in the half and hit her first field goal at the beginning of the third quarter.
Bueckers, who entered the matchup averaging 20.4 points per game, ended up with eight points, but she also recorded a notable ten rebounds and six assists, contributing to her team’s overall performance.
In the earlier matchup at Barclays Center, Tennessee overcame No. 17 Iowa with a score of 78-68.
Observations from the game: for UConn, this match marks the start of a challenging sequence of four games against ranked opponents within their next five outings. Next up, they’ll compete against No. 10 Notre Dame on Thursday, followed by matches against No. 20 Iowa State and No. 6 USC later in the month, all hosted in Connecticut.
For Louisville, this defeat marks the fourth of the season, all occurring against ranked teams, as they had previously faced losses against UCLA, Kentucky, and Oklahoma under Coach Jeff Walz’s leadership.
Defining moment of the game: Early on, after a tight score of 8-5, UConn went on a scoring spree, outpacing Louisville 20-5 for the remainder of the opening quarter, which significantly shifted the momentum in their favor. Ashlynn Shade was instrumental during this surge, contributing seven points.
A key statistic from the game noted that UConn dominated the boards, outrebounding Louisville by a significant margin of 52-28.
Looking ahead, Louisville is scheduled to host Grambling State on Thursday, while UConn will travel to face No. 10 Notre Dame on the same night.
