HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Maya Moore scored 23 points and Renee Montgomery added 21 as top-ranked Connecticut beat South Florida 71-48 on Wednesday night, giving the Huskies 20 wins for the 15th consecutive season.
Connecticut (20-0, 7-0 Big East) is the only undefeated team in Division I and has won 33 consecutive regular season games. Over that span, the Huskies have beaten their opponents by an average of over 29 points per game.
Moore, who also had six rebounds and three assists, has scored in double figures in all 20 games. That's the longest such streak for a UConn player since Diana Taurasi scored in double digits in 31 consecutive games between Feb. 19, 2003 and Jan. 27, 2004.
Shantia Grace led USF (11-9, 1-6) with 15, two below her average.It was Grace's 19th double-figure performance in her last 20 games dating back to the 2006-07 season.
UConn was coming off wins over No. 3 North Carolina and No. 20 Notre Dame, but did not play with the same intensity.
The Huskies held the Bulls to 30 percent shooting, but were outrebounded 39-36 and committed 18 turnovers.
Center Tina Charles, who had four blocked shots in the first 5:34, played just 12 minute before being benched by coach Geno Auriemma for sloppy defensive play. She didn't return until there was 4:30 left and the Huskies were up 61-35, and finished with eight points and four rebounds in just 13 minutes.
The Huskies committed 11 first-half turnovers, but led by 20 at the break. Montgomery and Moore combined for 30 of UConn's 42 first-half points. USF turned the ball over 13 times, and shot just 24 percent before intermission.
The Huskies hit eight of their first 11 shots, getting assists on every basket, and jumped out to a 19-11 lead. The Bulls stayed in the game by hitting four of their first eight from behind the arc. They trailed just 19-14 with 10:10 left, but managed just eight points the rest of the half.
The Bulls, who have lost two straight and seven of their last eight, will now look to get back on the winning track when they travel to Louisville to face the Cardinals on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Freedom Hall.
Post Game Notes
- The game with against Connecticut was USF's third this year against a team ranked in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Polls.
- The UConn game also marks the first of two games in the next three outings against a member of the Top 25 ... Following Louisville USF will return home to butt heads with No. 23/24 DePaul on Tuesday, Feb. 5 in the Sun Dome.
- The XL Center (formally Hartford Civic Center) attendance of 12,445 was the fourth largest crowd to ever see a USF women's basketball game.
- Jazmine Sepulveda scored eight points, dished off six assists, grabbed four rebounds and recorded a steal in 40 minutes of action ... It was her second straight 40-minute outing and the third of her career.
- Brittany Denson grabbed nine rebounds, five points and four blocked shots in 33 minutes.
