Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong proved again that they are the perfect 1-2 punch in a 71-56 win for No. 1 UConn over Marquette on Saturday in Milwaukee.

Fudd scored 17 of her 25 points in the first half, and Strong tallied 19 of her 22 points in the second to lead the Huskies (27-0, 16-0 Big East) through an atypical game for the undefeated defending national champs.

The Huskies, who had beaten opponents by an average of 39.7 points and scored an average of 90 points entering the game, were flummoxed by the defense of the Golden Eagles (16-10, 10-7).

UConn’s 71 points were its fewest of the season.

Their 15-point margin of victory was the lowest since they defeated then-No. 6 Michigan 72-69 on Nov. 21. Since then, they had won 21 consecutive games by at least 25 points – the longest streak this century.

UConn was held to a season-low 13 points in the first quarter and shot just 30.8%.

For the half, the Huskies shot 40.6% with Fudd and KK Arnold (eight points in the half) combining to make 8-of-16 shots, with the rest of the team just 5-of-16 shooting. Strong was 1 of 9 as the Huskies took a 36-24 lead at halftime.

“We started slow. We came in, we weren't aggressive. They came in super-aggressive, on top of their stuff,” Fudd told FS1 in a postgame interview about Marquette. “Their defense, their offense. They were crashing the boards. They had every hustle play, and we needed to wake up.”

The second half was a different story.

With UConn up 42-28, Strong scored 17 consecutive points in the third quarter to establish her presence in the game but Marquette held tough.

As Strong went on her scoring rampage, Marquette matched her almost point for point and went to the fourth quarter down by 13 points after having pared the deficit to eight earlier in the quarter.

Fudd and Strong have sat out the fourth quarter in many games, with the rest of the starters playing minimum minutes but not Saturday. Fudd played eight minutes, Ashlynn Shade was on the court for all 10 and Arnold played nine.

Arnold scored 10 points and added six rebounds and a career-high nine assists.

Fudd characterized the game as an off day, more or less, but one the Huskies fought through.

“Shots weren't really falling. People got hot at certain times,” she said. “It felt like we didn't really have that flow that we usually have, so today was one of those days where we kind of had to just figure it out and push through.”

When the offense wasn’t sharp, the UConn defense continued its season-long dominance.

The Huskies forced 22 turnovers, including 13 steals, and blocked seven shots. Marquette, however, had a huge edge on the boards, outrebounding UConn 42-29.

Three Golden Eagles players scored in double figures: Lee Volker (15 points), Skylar Forbes (14) and Jaidynn Mason (11). Mason led the way with eight rebounds, while three teammates each tallied seven.

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