No. 1 Connecticut women breeze past Chattanooga 79-31

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- In the moments after his team's 79-31 blowout victory, Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma gave Chattanooga's Jim Foster a pat in the back as the two Hall of Famers briefly chatted at midcourt.

Auriemma understands all too well how it feels to get beaten soundly by a good friend.

"I remember when I was early in my career at Connecticut and Jim was at Vanderbilt," Auriemma said. "Honest to God, it crossed my mind (that) we were in a game like this with them, but it was reversed. We couldn't get any offense going, and they pretty much did whatever they wanted. I do remember it kind of flashed across my mind. I've been there. It's not a fun place to be."

Moriah Jefferson scored 15 points and didn't miss a shot Monday night as the top-ranked Huskies breezed past Chattanooga for their 41st consecutive victory. The three-time defending national champions have beaten each of their first four opponents by at least 40 points and haven't lost since falling 88-86 at Stanford on Nov. 17, 2014.

"The intensity and attention to detail that they play with, as a coach, it's refreshing to watch," Foster said. "In this day and age of dribble-drive and `I want to get my own,' it's kind of refreshing, whether it's the Golden State Warriors or Connecticut women's basketball, there are some teams playing basketball the way you'd like to see it played."

Jefferson made all five of her shots and four free throws. Breanna Stewart and Gabby Williams each added 14 points for the Huskies (4-0). Williams also had 12 rebounds.

Jasmine Joyner and Keiana Gilbert each scored eight for Chattanooga (5-3), which ended a 17-game home winning streak.

After Queen Alford's 3-point shot in the first minute of the third quarter got Chattanooga within 37-26, Connecticut outscored the Mocs 42-5 the rest of the way. Chattanooga shot 3 of 23 in the second half.

"We were able to keep running -- and they got tired," Stewart said. "I think that just has to do with our stamina and endurance throughout the game."

Connecticut scheduled the home-and-home series with Chattanooga due to the long friendship between the two coaches. Auriemma began his coaching career by working as an assistant on Foster's staffs, first at Bishop McDevitt High School in the Philadelphia area and later at St. Joseph's.

This marked the seventh time the two good friends had faced off, and it was Auriemma's fourth straight victory over his former mentor. Connecticut beat Foster's Ohio State team in 2010 and knocked off Foster's Vanderbilt squads in the 1996 NCAA Tournament and the 2001 Preseason WNIT. Foster beat Connecticut while at St. Joe's in 1987 and while at Vanderbilt in the 1992 NCAA Tournament and in December 1992.

TIP-INS

Connecticut: Stewart got four blocks to become the fifth Connecticut player to reach the 300-block milestone. Stewart now has 302 career blocks.

Chattanooga: Joyner became the Mocs' all-time leading shot blocker Monday as she swatted away four shots. Joyner has 225 career blocks. The junior center averages 4.6 blocks per game this season and entered the night as the leading Division I shot blocker.

TALE OF TWO STREAKS

Connecticut is six victories away from matching the third-longest winning streak in school history. Connecticut won 90 consecutive games from November 2008 to December 2010, 70 straight from November 2001 to March 2003 and 47 in a row from March 2013 to November 2014.

Chattanooga had won 57 of its last 58 home games before Monday. That stretch included victories last season over a fourth-ranked Tennessee team and a seventh-ranked Stanford squad.

BIG CROWD

Having the top-ranked team in town attracted a boisterous crowd of 6,104 for Chattanooga's seventh-largest home crowd ever -- and its biggest since 8,468 watched the Mocs upset Tennessee 80-71 on Nov. 9, 2012, in the Lady Vols' first game of the post-Pat Summitt era.

NEXT UP

Connecticut: At No. 23 DePaul on Wednesday.

Chattanooga: At No. 24 South Florida on Dec. 13.