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No. 1 UConn routs Vermont for 46th straight win

Dec 4, 2009 - 3:36 AM By PAT EATON-ROBB Associated Press Writer

STORRS, Conn.(AP) -- Maya Moore and her Connecticut teammates don't like to look at the scoreboard. It might make them complacent.

Moore scored 20 points as Connecticut overwhelmed Vermont 84-42 Thursday night in a rematch of last year's first-round NCAA tournament game.

Tina Charles added 18 points and nine rebounds, giving her 1,059 rebounds for her career and moving her into second place on the school's all-time list behind Rebecca Lobo.

The Huskies (7-0), who beat the Catamounts 104-65 in March on their way to a sixth national title, have won 46 consecutive games, and 44 in a row at home. All seven wins this season have come by at least 25 points, and with an average margin of victory of 46 points.

"The thing that makes us different is the details we carry out every possession, regardless of the score," Moore said.

Courtney Pilypaitis led Vermont (4-1) with 20 points. May Kotsopoulos, who had been averaging over 20 points a game, was held to five.

The defending America East tournament champions beat Boston College and North Carolina State on the road this season. But they were no match for the Huskies.

"I think it was a combination of them playing very well, and us playing very scared," Vermont coach Sharon Dawley said.

UConn led just 5-4 at the first media timeout, but went on an 11-0 run after the break. A touch pass from Moore to a driving Charles with just over 11 minutes left in the half extended the lead to it 25-9.

Charles' rebound of a missed shot by Kotsopoulos a minute later moved her past Jamelle Elliott on the rebounding list. She needs 209 to catch Lobo.

"I've said this a million times, if Tina applied herself and set her mind to it, she could break every record that there is at Connecticut - scoring, rebounding, blocked shots - whatever she wants to do," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said.

The Huskies had one small scare when Caroline Doty left the game in the first half after trying to split two defenders on a drive to the basket. She was fouled hard, got her arms caught behind her and fell face-first to the floor. Kalana Greene made one of the two foul shots, giving UConn a 38-11 lead. Doty returned in the second half and finished with five points.

Meghan Gardler's putback at the halftime buzzer pushed the lead to 50-18. It was the fifth 50-point first half for the Huskies this season.

Connecticut turned the ball over just 10 times, and shot 59 percent from the floor, while holding Vermont to just 31 percent. The Huskies had 32 fast-break points, and 52 points in the paint.

"The transition, I think, just really sparked us," Moore said.

Connecticut tied Tennessee for the third-longest winning streak in women's Division I history. The Volunteers won 46 straight between 1996 and 1998.

Vermont is now 1-17 all-time against ranked opponents. The team's only win over a ranked team was a 56-48 victory over No. 22 Boston College on Nov. 25, 2007.

Connecticut has never lost to Vermont, winning all 11 games between the two schools.

Pilypaitis said this UConn team may be better than the one that went undefeated last season.

"You can't really pinpoint what it is, but they are just all-around solid, don't make any mistakes," she said. "Anything you force them to do, they're comfortable doing, so, yeah they are definitely better than last year."