Becky Burke scored 13 points, including three 3-pointers, and No. 9 Louisville used a swarming defense to beat Xavier 62-44 on Sunday.
Cierra Warren added 10 points for the Cardinals (3-1).
Ashley Wanninger had 10 points and Amber Gray added nine for the Musketeers (1-2).
The game was a rematch of last season's NCAA tournament second game that saw the Cardinals upset No. 2 seed Xavier 85-75 to earn their third straight trip to the Sweet 16. Xavier, ranked in the top 10 all of last season, is rebuilding after losing four starters from last year's team.
Xavier scored the game's first two baskets as Gray hit a jumper with 18:30 left in the first half to make it 4-0. Louisville then kept the Musketeers scoreless for nearly 10 minutes as Warren sparked an 11-0 run with three consecutive buckets before Xavier's Sabrina Johnson added a free throw with 8:46 to play, making it 11-5.
Tyeasha Moss 3-pointer from the left wing with 7:46 cut the Louisville lead to three but Xavier would draw no closer as the Cardinals closed the first half with a 20-4 run to lead 31-12 at halftime.
