On any given night for the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team just about anyone can step up and have a great game. And that’s what makes them the best team in the country. They don’t need to rely on any one player.
On Monday night, it was Tiffany Hayes turn to lead the Huskies as she had 22 points to help them double up the South Florida Bulls 84-42 in front of 9,279 at the XL Center.
It’s the 52nd straight win for the Huskies as they improve to 13-0 (2-0 Big East). The Bulls fall to 9-5 (0-1).
Maya Moore put up a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds and added four steals to the cause. Tina Charles scored all 14 of her points in the second half and added eight rebounds. Despite being the only Husky to not score any points, freshman Kelly Faris led the Huskies with six assists.
Jessica Lawson paced the Bulls with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Janae Stokes chipped in with nine points.
The Huskies started out quickly as they got out to an 18-2 lead which consisted of two runs (12-0 and 6-2). The lead swelled to 23 points at 29-6 when Moore stole a pass and made a layup. But with Moore and Charles on the bench with two fouls, the Bulls made a bit of a comeback as they finished up the half on a 15-6 run that included an 11-2 run over the the final 4:26 of the half.
The Huskies held a 35-21 lead at the break but put the game away early in the second half with an 11-0 run and never looked back from there.
It should be an emotional night at Gampel Pavilion on Thursday night as former UConn assistant Jamelle Elliott returns home with her Cincinnati Bearcats. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast locally on CPTV.
Notes and musings:
South Florida Bulls @ UConn Huskies 1.4.10 box score
The starters were Tiffany Hayes, Caroline Doty, Kalana Greene, Maya Moore and Tina Charles.
The Huskies shot 53.4% (31-of-58) from the floor while the Bulls shot 28.3% (15-of-53).
UConn had 20 assists on their 31 made baskets.
The Huskies were 13-of-16 (81.8%) from the free throw line.
UConn won the battle of the boards 38-31.
The Bulls had 18 turnovers which UConn converted into 27 points. The Huskies had 12 turnovers which the Bulls turned into 11 points.
UConn outscored the Bulls 10-0 on the fast break.
The rest of the game notes are courtesy of the UConn Sports Information department:
With the win, UConn opens 13-0 for the third straight time and the 10th time since 1994-95.
The Huskies have a 52 consecutive regular-season game winning streak that dates back to a 73-71 loss at Rutgers on Feb. 5, 2008.
Maya Moore’s 18 points moved her into 10th place on UConn’s all-time scoring list, surpassing Shea Ralph’s 1,678 career tally. Moore’s current total is 1,680.
After tonight’s win, UConn has won 25 of its last BIG EAST regular season games.
UConn has won each of its 52 consecutive games by double-digits, an NCAA record.
UConn extended its home-court winning streak to 48 straight games, the nation’s longest active streak.
UConn improves to 244-11 playing as the nation’s No. 1 ranked team.
UConn moves to 218-83 in games played in the month of January.
UConn improves to 292-11 all-time on its home courts since the 1993-94 season.
With tonight’s victory, UConn extends its winning streak at the XL Center to 27 games.
UConn improves to 9-0 all-time in the series with South Florida, while moving to 5-0 against the Bulls in Hartford.
The Huskies have won 79 games in which they scored at least 80 points.
UConn has won 11 of its 13 games this season by a minimum of 25 points and has won its last 52 contests by a minimum of 10 points – an NCAA record.
UConn has defeated seven opponents this season by 40 or more points after tonight’s 84-42 victory over South Florida.
UConn is 148-2 in its last 150 BIG EAST home games.
The Huskies boast a 334-8 mark in games aired on CPTV in the last 14+ seasons.
UConn extends its streak of games without back-to-back losses to 590 consecutive games.
UConn is 260-3 in its last 262 games (dating back to Jan. 31, 1999) overall against opponents not ranked in the Associated Press Top-25 poll.
UConn opened tonight’s contest with a 12-0 run in the first 4:12 before South Florida registered its first field goal at the 15:48 mark.
Maya Moore (10) and Tiffany Hayes (8) scored UConn’s first 18 points before Kalana Greene became the third Husky to score as she hit a layup at the 11:40 mark in the first half.
South Florida’s 12 points in the first half marked the fewest UConn has allowed in any half this season – tying the 12 points allowed in both the first and second half at Seton Hall on Jan. 2 and the second half at Holy Cross on Nov. 20.
Despite posting a season-low 35 points in the first half, UConn still went into intermission with a 35-21 advantage.
The Huskies have limited their opponents to no more than 27 points in the opening half in 11 of 13 games this season.
UConn shot 17-of-26 (.654) from the floor in the second half.
Tiffany Hayes scored 10 of her season-high 22 points in the second half to register double-figures for the 26th time in her career, including the eighth time this season.
Maya Moore’s 18 points and 10 rebounds marked her 30th career double-double, including her third of the season, and the 88th time in 90 career games she scored in double-figures.
Tina Charles’ 14 points marked her 96th game in double-figure points.
