Malachi Smith opened up the run with a 3-pointer, and Jayden Ross did the same on the ensuing possession. After a Tarris Reed Jr. layup and a free throw and another 3-pointer from Ross, UConn’s run grew to 12 before a Silas Demary Jr. floater made it 28-13 Huskies with 6:30 left in the opening frame.

Heckel's ability to push the pace on defense is why she's emerged as one of UConn's top options off the bench.

Solo Ball scored 23 points, Alex Karaban 20 and Tarris Reed Jr. 19 to lead UConn to a convincing, 89-62 victory. Jayden Ross added 10 points off the bench before fouling out, and Silas Demary Jr. had just five points but doled out nine assists while grabbing six rebounds, second only to Reed's eight for the 3-0 Huskies.

Sarah Strong is that player, Alabama and Michigan State get ranked upsets, the first 40-point game of the season and more from the weekend's college basketball action.

Solo Ball had 23 points and Alex Karaban added 20 points and six rebounds as third-ranked UConn topped Columbia 89-62.

Mississippi State: Josh Hubbard dumps 27 on North Alabama in season-opener. North Carolina: Pretty convincing blue-blood win over Kansas in Chapel Hill. Virginia Tech: Have you seen Greek 6-foot-9 freshman point guard Neoklis Avdalas? Dropped 33 on Providence Saturday.

No. 1 UConn started its title defense with a 79-66 season-opening win over Louisville on Tuesday at the Armed Forces Classic in Annapolis, Maryland.

Former UConn player Kentan Facey played for the Jamaican national team last summer. He has launched a fundraising effort to help victims of Hurricane Melissa, which caused severe damage to parts of Jamaica last week.

The Huskies were ranked No. 4 in the preseason Associated Press poll but moved up after starting the season with a pair of wins.