NEW YORK (AP) – Sarah Strong scored 21 points and Azzi Fudd added 18 to help No. 2 UConn defeat No. 22 Louisville 85-52 on Saturday night in the Women’s Champions Classic.

The Huskies (8-0) took control early and never looked back.

Louisville (5-4) trailed by 18 after one and got within 12 early in the second quarter before Strong, the Huskies’ youngest freshman, got UConn back on track. It struck from both within and without.

The Huskies led 49-24 at halftime at All-American Paige Bueckers scored just three points while missing all six of her field goal attempts. She scored her first point of the game on a free throw with 6:38 left and hit her first basket at the start of the third quarter.

Bueckers, who came into the game averaging 20.4 points, finished the game with eight points. She also had 10 rebounds and six assists.

Tennessee defeated No. 17 Iowa 78-68 in the opener of the doubleheader at Barclays Center.

Takeaways

UConn: This was the first of four games against ranked teams in the next five contests. The Huskies travel to No. 10 Notre Dame next Thursday and play No. 20 Iowa State and No. 6 USC later this month in Connecticut.

Louisville: The Cardinals’ four losses all came against ranked teams, with Jeff Walz’s squad also falling to UCLA, Kentucky and Oklahoma.

Key moment

The score opened 8-5 before the Huskies outscored the Cardinals 20-5 the rest of the quarter and took control of the game. Ashlynn Shade had seven points during that outburst.

Key statistics

UConn outrebounded Louisville 52-28.

Next

Louisville hosts Grambling State on Thursday, while UConn visits No. 10 Notre Dame the same night.