The Huskies struggled offensively at the outset for the second straight game. They started 9-of-26 from the field. Renee Montgomery was 2-of-8. Maya Moore was 1-of-4. And Tina Charles was 1-of-3 before spending the final 14:07 of the half on the bench with two fouls.
Defensively, Ashley Walker was having her way with the Huskies. She had 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, and her 3-pointer with 6:38 left in the half gave California a 31-23 lead. Had it not been for Tiffany Hayes (11 points) the deficit certainly would have been greater.
The Bears opened 11-of-19 from the field.
UConn had trailed for a combined 45:16 through the first 35 games. And it had never been by more than six points (8-2 vs. Notre Dame).
But following a 30-second timeout by Geno Auriemma, the Huskies would rediscover some normalcy. They scored the next 12 points, including five each by Hayes and Moore, to take the lead.
UConn also was getting done defensively. It held California scoreless for 6:35, forced a pair of shot clock violations and Moore drew a charge on Walker. The Bears also missed their final eight shots and committed five turnovers.
The Huskies led 35-33 at halftime. Hayes has 16 points (6-of-7 FG), three rebounds, three assists and two steals in 20 minutes.
Rich
