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Alexa Philippou
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The defending champion UConn Huskies picked up where they left off to start the 2025-26 season: winning in (mostly) dominant fashion.
UConn, ranked No. 1 in the AP preseason poll, took down No. 20 Louisville 79-66 on Tuesday in the Armed Forces Classic, a game the Huskies led by as many as 28 points before securing their 30th consecutive season-opening win, the second-longest active streak in Division I.
The event — the first women’s matchup in the Armed Forces Classic — was initially supposed to be played at Ramstein Air Base in Germany but was moved to the Naval Academy less than two weeks ago because of the government shutdown.
It was the first game for the new-look Huskies since three-time All-American and 2025 No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers departed for the WNBA. But with their former superstar watching from the stands, the Huskies lived up to their No. 1 billing.
Sarah Strong, a preseason first-team All-American, and Azzi Fudd, the 2025 Final Four Most Outstanding Player, led the way with a combined 41 points, while junior KK Arnold (13) and USC transfer Kayleigh Heckel (14) rounded out the attack. Wisconsin transfer Serah Williams earned her first career start as a Husky, finishing with 4 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists.
«This team is super different than last year, even though it was only a few different pieces. But I think what those pieces bring are so valuable,» Fudd said. «Tonight was a lot of fun. … I think as the season goes on and we continue to build our chemistry and learn how to keep playing well together and what our strengths are, it’s going to be even more fun and really special.»
UConn came out of the gates rolling, jumping ahead 25-9 by the end of the first quarter and going into the break ahead by 21. The Huskies struggled from deep all night (4-for-26 on 3-pointers) but still managed to overwhelm the Cardinals in the paint by a 50-18 margin.
«The way we got there [up by so much] was pretty cool,» UConn coach Geno Auriemma said, «not making any 3s and still getting up 28, that’s not an easy thing to do.»
Strong, who dazzled as a freshman during UConn’s title run, added 9 rebounds and 5 assists for her fifth career 20-5-5 game. With the ball in her hands more than ever, the Huskies thrived when the 6-foot-2 Strong rebounded the ball on defense and ran the break, also shining as a matchup nightmare and a passer with her game-high five dimes.
«I think we’re going to see teams try different things against Sarah, so we tried different things,» Auriemma said. «We tried to put her in spaces that we thought she had an advantage over the people that were guarding her. And I think when you have a player like Sarah that can rebound the ball like she rebounds it, and then start the break and bring the ball up the floor, I think that’s a whole new dynamic … I really believe that adds a different dimension to our offense. And because she’s such a gifted passer, there’s a lot of opportunities when she has the ball in her hands. So we try to put the ball in her hands as often as possible.»
Things stalled a bit for the Huskies in the second half once the Cardinals went into a zone and were more intentional about getting to the free throw line. Louisville cut the deficit from 25 to 10 with 2:22 left in the fourth quarter before Strong answered with consecutive baskets to put the game out of reach.
Stanford in Columbus, Ohio. The program is now 7-1 all-time when starting a season against a Top 25 team.
