NORMAN, Okla. – Tiffany Hayes scored 23 points, Bria Hartley added 20 and No. 2 Connecticut beat Oklahoma 73-55 on Monday night for its 12th straight victory.
The Huskies (24-2) never trailed on their way to moving to 10-0 all-time in the series, which is becoming an annual tradition around Valentine's Day.
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Stefanie Dolson contributed 10 points apiece, and Connecticut built a commanding lead in the first 7 minutes before withstanding a series of rallies by Oklahoma (16-8).
Whitney Hand scored 18 points while playing 40 minutes but she was the only one of the Sooners who could score with regularity against the nation's top defense.
Oklahoma cut an early 17-point deficit to five before halftime but was never closer than seven points in the second half.
Aaryn Ellenberg, once the Sooners' most dangerous scorer, continued a prolonged slump by missing eight of her first nine shots. She has shot 16 for 75 ( 21 percent) over the last seven games — a stretch that has included two games against top-ranked Baylor and this one against an even more stingy defense.
The Huskies came in allowing opponents to shoot only 29.6 percent and average 44.4 points.
Hayes had two layups, stealing an outlet pass in between, to spark a string of eight straight points that restored Connecticut's lead to 45-30 after Oklahoma had pulled within striking distance down the stretch in the first half.
After that, the Huskies merely kept the Sooners at arm's length.
Mosqueda-Lewis turned away an Oklahoma comeback bid by hitting consecutive jumpers before Hayes' fastbreak layup pushed the lead to 51-35 with 13:10 remaining. The Sooners again got within single digits with a run of seven straight points finished by Hand's free throws with just under 6 minutes left, only to have the Huskies answer it a few moments later.
Dolson scored from the right block, Mosqueda-Lewis hit a 3-pointer and Hartley converted a fastbreak layup to draw a timeout from Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale. Many in the crowd drawn for the annual "Pack the Place Pink" breast cancer awareness game headed out with 2:16 remaining and Connecticut leading 66-50.
UConn took a 19-4 lead before two-time NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant even made it to his seat near courtside, just over 7 minutes into the first half. Dolson scored with her left hand under the basket to make it a 17-point lead with 11:57 to go before halftime, and the Huskies seemed to be on their way to duplicating last season's 41-point blowout last season in Hartford.
Hand scored the next seven points in what would become an 11-0 run, and the Sooners quickly got themselves into the bonus by drawing three fouls against Mosqueda-Lewis in an 82-second span.
Jelena Cerina's layup in the final minute of the first half got Oklahoma within 33-28 before Connecticut scored the final four points before halftime.
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