History goes hand-in-hand with Madison Square Garden. 

St. John’s women’s basketball (21-9, 11-8 in Big  East) added another page to this illustrious history book. In the first standalone women’s basketball game at the “Mecca,” the Johnnies faced No. 1 UConn (30-0, 19-0) in a much-anticipated rivalry game that was never competitive.

Senior Azzi Fudd led the Huskies with 13 points in an 85-49 dismantling of St. John’s. Her performance capped off yet another undefeated season that gave them first place in the Big East tournament.

“Playing against a high-level opponent — they’re No. 1 for a reason, but I thought we had some points in the game where we had some good takeaways. Any chance you get to play against the best, you get stressed in many areas, and it allows you to continue to teach to try and get better as a team,” head coach Joe Tartamella said.

The Red Storm, who were led by eight points from Jailah Donald, hold the sixth seed in the upcoming tournament. They are set to face Xavier (11-17, 4-15) in the first round.

“It’s been a fun year in terms of watching our guys’ resilience and how they play. Playing on that first day is not easy if you’re trying to continue,” Tartamella added. “Xavier is a very capable team in our league. You take it one game at a time, and it’s a bigger part of what the next play means. It certainly means a lot more in the postseason.”

With a roaring crowd of 9,612 fans behind them, the Huskies took a quick nine-point lead thanks to prolific scoring from their starting five. The same couldn’t be said for the Johnnies, whose lone two points came from Sa’Mya Wyatt.

The conference rivals traded baskets midway through the first quarter. Fudd was on the attack from both sides of the court, scoring four points and forcing a steal.

The Huskies’ fast-paced defense remained strong against the Johnnies, who struggled to reach the basket. This left them with nine first-quarter points, with their opponents holding a 15-point lead.

From this point on, UConn remained in front. This forced St. John’s to play from behind on their home court.

Janeya Grant and Shaulana Wagner began to lead a comeback, which the Huskies matched with four points of their own.

At this point, the road team went up 24 while the Red Storm still had no answer. This lead would remain heading into halftime in what was a lopsided first 20 minutes.

“You realize real quick why they are the way they are. A lot of it is to do with the players that come through [UConn], and they all improve. It’s not always easy to coach great players. They’ve done it with the best, probably at the highest level,” Tartamella explained when questioned about facing the Huskies.

Moore and Fudd traded triples to open the third quarter. Two more long-range shots were exchanged, as both teams maintained an even pace.

With UConn leading by 33, the Johnnies’ chances of leaving this contest diminished before the fourth quarter got underway. Constant scoring kept the ballgame afloat until the final whistle.

St. John’s will return to Madison Square Garden when they face Xavier, whom they swept in the regular season, in the first round of the Big East tournament on March 6.