University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Villanova
Huskies Down Villanova 81-35
1/5/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 5, 2011
Box Score | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery 
STORRS, Conn. - Tiffany Hayes netted 22 points as the No. 1 UConn women's basketball team defeated Villanova 81-35 on Wednesday night at Gampel Pavilion.
Hayes finished the night hitting six of her seven attempts from the floor and was 7-of-7 from the charity stripe to lead UConn to its 46-point BIG EAST Conference victory.
With the win, UConn improves to 13-1 on the year, as the Huskies earned their 70th straight win at home and improve to 3-0 in league play. With the loss, Villanova evens its record at 7-7 overall to go along with a 0-2 mark in the BIG EAST Conference.
UConn's defense came out strong in the first half as the Huskies held Villanova to just four field goals in the entire frame. The Huskies led 8-0 in the opening five minutes as Villanova was 0-of-9 from the floor, including a 0-of-7 clip from behind the arc. The Wildcats' first field goal came at the 12:16 mark of the first half after they shot 0-of-12 during the opening 7:44.
Maya Moore and Hayes recorded 11 of UConn's first 20 points of the night and combined for 24 of UConn's 44 as the Huskies went into intermission with a 44-12 advantage. Villanova's 12 first-half points were the fewest allowed by UConn in a first half this season.
Villanova opened the second half hitting four 3-pointers in five attempts in the first four minutes of the frame to cut the UConn lead to 24. The Huskies answered back with a 7-0 run to push their lead over the 30-point mark. The Wildcats finished the night shooting 11-of-50 from the floor for 22%, while 38 of their 50 field goal attempts came from behind the arc.
Moore scored 16 points on the night to move her four points shy of becoming the 45th player in NCAA history to score at least 2,500 points. The senior added nine rebounds and seven assists in the contest.
Freshman Bria Hartley tallied 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field to score in double-figures in 13 of her first 14 collegiate games. It was also her 12th straight game in doing so.
Kelly Faris scored just three points but pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds, all coming off the defensive glass.
The Huskies, who saw all 10 active players score in tonight's contest, registered 34 points in the paint compared to Villanova's two. UConn also scored 23 points off 14 Wildcat turnovers.
The Huskies will be back on the road to square off against Notre Dame on Saturday, Jan.8. Game time is set for 2:00 p.m. (EST) live on CBS.
