Moore Helps UConn Battle Past Villanova

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STORRS, CT (January 29, 2003) --  Sophomore center Jessica Moore (Palmer, AK) scored 16 points on seven of 10 shooting to pace 2^nd-ranked Connecticut to its NCAA-record 58^th consecutive victory, a 58-38 decision over 20^th-ranked Villanova, Wednesday, before the usual sellout throng of 10,167 at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion.

The win pushes the UConn record to a spotless 19-0, 7-0 in the BIG EAST.  The Wildcats drop to 14-4, 4-3 in conference play.

Connecticut had to overcome an impressive performance by senior guard Trish Juhline of Villanova.  Juhline scored Villanova’s first nine points in the game’s first 4:05.  However, the Huskies wrestled the lead for good when Moore hit a free throw to give UConn an 11-10 lead, in the middle of an 8-0 run.  UConn led by as many as 12 in the opening half, settling for a 29-18 lead at intermission.  Moore and freshman Ann Strother paced the Husky attack with eight points apiece in the opening twenty minutes.

Connecticut salted the victory away in the second half with some stifling defense and a relentless rebounding attack.  UConn held Villanova to just 23% shooting in the second half (six of 26) and enjoyed a whopping 23-10 rebounding advantage after halftime. 

Also in double figures for the Huskies were junior All-America Diana Taurasi (Chino, CA) who scored 15, and Strother, who added 11.  Taurasi struggled from the field, connecting on just five of 17 attempts, but yanked down seven rebounds and dished out a game-high five assists.  Forwards Ashley Battle (Pittsburgh, PA) and Barbara Turner (Cleveland, OH) shared game-high rebounding honors with eight apiece off the bench.

UConn held Villanova to just 26% shooting for the game, and exploited their decisive height advantage for a 28-10 edge in points in the paint.

Juhline finished with 16 to lead Villanova.

The win sets up an unbeaten battle of #1 vs. #2, when the Huskies venture to Durham, NC to play top-ranked Duke on Saturday, February 1.  Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. and the game will be televised nationally by ESPN-2.