ANNAPOLIS Md. (Interstat) — The Connecticut Huskies opened their season with a commanding 79-66 victory over the Louisville Cardinals in a women’s NCAA Division I basketball game at the Peraton Armed Forces Classic on Tuesday night.

Fueled by a dominant first quarter the Huskies seized control early and never looked back. Connecticut exploded for 25 points in the opening period while holding Louisville to just nine establishing a 16-point lead that the Cardinals could not overcome. The Huskies led 44-23 at halftime and 61-40 after three quarters before Louisville mounted a late 26-point effort in the fourth.

Sarah Strong a freshman from Durham North Carolina led all scorers in her collegiate debut tallying 21 points nine rebounds five assists and two blocks for the Huskies. She was complemented by a balanced scoring attack as Azzi Fudd added 20 points KK Arnold scored 13 and Kayleigh Heckel contributed 14 off the bench.

The Huskies’ offense was efficient despite a poor shooting night from beyond the arc where they went 4 for 26. They compensated by dominating inside outscoring Louisville 50-18 in the paint and converting 12 Cardinals turnovers into 16 points. Connecticut shot 44.9 percent from the floor overall.

Louisville was led by Laura Ziegler who recorded a double-double with 16 points and 18 rebounds. Imari Berry and Skylar Jones each added 13 points for the Cardinals who struggled offensively shooting 34.4 percent from the field and posting an offensive rating of 91.6.

Defensively Connecticut was disruptive recording eight steals and forcing 12 total turnovers while committing only seven themselves. The Huskies also held a significant advantage in assists dishing out eight compared to Louisville’s three.

The game was played at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis before an announced crowd of 3640.

With the win Connecticut begins its season 1-0. Louisville starts 0-1. The Huskies are next scheduled to host Florida State on Sunday. Louisville will return home to face Northern Kentucky the same day.