The No. 1-ranked UConn women’s basketball team defeated Michigan 72-69 on Friday, cutting the Wolverines' gutsy comeback just short.

The Huskies leaped out to an early 20-point lead and looked to bury the Wolverines, who instead orchestrated a furious comeback that fell just short.

Azzi Fudd scored 31 points and Sarah Strong added 16 points and 20 rebounds to lead No. 1 UConn to a 72-69 victory over sixth-ranked Michigan in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase.

UConn women’s basketball guard Kayleigh Heckel and Michigan’s Syla Swords aren’t the type of friends to trash talk each other, even on the basketball court. When the high school teammates face off on opposite sides of Friday’s game between the No.

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Geno Auriemma switched up defenders on Ohio State star Jaloni Cambridge often, rotating between KK Arnold, Fudd and Kayleigh Heckel. Strong was a defensive nightmare in the post, poking out loose handles and jumping up over the Buckeyes to grab nearly every defensive board.

Sitting side-by-side at the postgame podium after the UConn women’s basketball team routed Ohio State 100-68 on Sunday, Blanca Quinonez pulled sophomore superstar Sarah Strong’s box score towards her and pointed to the line next to Quinonez’s name with a rueful smirk.

The top-ranked UConn women's basketball team (3-0) hosts Ohio State (2-0) in PeoplesBank Arena on Sunday at noon. The game will air on peacock and the UConn