HARTFORD, Conn. – Tiffany Hayes and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis each scored 14 points to help second-ranked Connecticut rout No. 8 Texas A&M 81-51 on Tuesday night in the Jimmy V Classic.
Kelly Faris added 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Huskies (8-0). Caroline Doty had 11 points as UConn put six players in double figures. She sat out the final 30 minutes of the Huskies' win over Towson on Nov. 30 after suffering a concussion. She showed no ill effects against the Aggies.
The victory was UConn's 91st straight at home, extending its NCAA record. The Huskies' last home loss came in the 2007 Big East championship game to Rutgers.
Texas A&M (6-2) was coming off its first loss of the season, falling to then-No. 13 Purdue on Sunday. That was the first defeat for the defending national champions since they lost to Baylor in the Big 12 finals last March.
UConn has opened up the season with eight straight home games, winning by an average of 43 points. The only ranked team the Huskies played before Tuesday night was then-No. 3 Stanford, which UConn beat 68-58. They begin the Big East season at Seton Hall on Friday before a showdown with No. 1 Baylor on Dec. 18.
With the score tied 5-all, UConn went on a 20-6 run to take a 14-point lead with 8:17 left in the first half. Kelsey Bone's layup with 16:12 left was the Aggies' only basket during the burst as they missed 14 straight shots after that. White's jumper with 7:15 left in the half ended the drought, but Texas A&M could only get within 10 the rest of the half. Mosqueda-Lewis' 3-pointer with 3:16 left gave UConn a 34-17 advantage. The Huskies led 36-24 at the half.
Texas A&M pulled to 38-28 early in the second half, but UConn put the game away with a 12-2 burst. Hayes, Doty and Mosqueda-Lewis all hit 3s and Bria Hartley added a three-point play.
Tyra White scored 14 to lead Texas A&M. Sydney Carter had just two points. She came into the game having missed her last 15 shots. She missed her first 11 against UConn before finally converting a jumper with 9:28 left in the game that made it 63-43.
UConn had 24 assists on its 32 baskets.
It's the second straight season that the Aggies played in the Jimmy V Classic. They lost by three to Duke last season before going on to win their first national championship. UConn has played in the event three previous times, losing its last two games against North Carolina in 2005 and 2006. The Huskies are locked in to play the next two years against Maryland in a home-and-home set.
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