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The next stop for UConn’s newest Dynamic Duo of junior Stefanie Dolson and sophomore Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis will be Carnesecca Arena Saturday in New York.

They are fresh off a performance against Villanova Tuesday when they combined for 39 points (14-of-25 FG) in a 76-43 win. Dolson finished with 20 points (8-of-11 FG) and eight rebounds in 21 minutes. Mosqueda-Lewis had 19 points (5-of-6 3-pointers), four rebounds and five assists in 24 minutes.

Mosqueda-Lewis currently leads the third-ranked Huskies in scoring (16.9) and is averaging 5.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 28.4 minutes in 19 games. Dolson is third on the team in scoring (13.8) and second in rebounds (6.7) and assists (3.3) in 26.6 minutes in 20 games.

Mosqueda-Lewis and Dolson are accounting for 37.2 percent of UConn’s scoring (82.5) and 28.6 percent of its rebounding (43.0).

“It’s good to have someone inside who can finish and then Kaleena who’s outside who’s just knocking in shots and driving to the basket hard and rebounding extremely well,’’ Dolson said. “It’s just a really good combination to have, us two.’’

Dolson speaks like the upperclassman that she is. She shied away this week from directly answering a question about whether or not she wants to be recognized as one of the top players in the country.

Dolson admits that she is working “pretty hard’’ to put herself in that category. Yet, she quickly added publicly that what she is doing will lead to the ultimate success of the team.

“I’m doing as much as I can to help the team,’’ Dolson said. “I think that’s something that I’m not focused on right now is being the best in the country. I just want to be the best team in the country. And that just means me playing at my best, and if that’s going to help my team win every game and then at the end win the (NCAA) tournament that’s just what I have to do.’’

Mosqueda-Lewis is also a team-oriented player. There is no doubt about that. But her sense of confidence right now is something to behold. There is no doubt that she wants to be talked about among the nation’s best players. And that is something that you can truly appreciate in a young player.

“Definitely, I want to be recognized as one of those players,’’ Mosqueda-Lewis said. “I think that I’ve tried to make steps to be more consistent for my team and just being a better all-around player. And I feel like if you’re talking about a player that’s the best in the country, or one of the best, they’re an all-around player. They’re not someone that just scores or someone that just plays good defense. It’s someone that does a little bit of everything, like Kelly Faris.’’

Rich

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Sophomore Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis is ranked second nationally in 3-point shooting percentage (.508) and sixth in made 3-pointers per game (3.21). She put on another fine shooting display Tuesday against Villanova when she was 5-of-6 from 3-point range.

It was the fifth time in 19 games this season that Mosqueda-Lewis has made at least five 3-pointers. She has made at least three in 11 games.

How much of a competitor is Mosqueda-Lewis? This was her reaction when asked about her only miss Tuesday …

“I thought it was in,’’ she said. “It rimmed out. It’s kind of depressing.’’

Kelly Faris did not commit turnover in 28 minutes against Villanova. It was the first time she finished turnover-free since playing 38 minutes at Stanford Dec. 29.

Faris had committed a combined 23 turnovers in the previous eight games.

Rich

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Freshman Breanna Stewart has been showing signs of returning to form lately. One play, in particular, in the first half of Tuesday’s 76-43 win over Villanova provided further proof that she is starting to feel a whole lot better about herself.

Stewart came flying into the lane from the left side to clean up a missed jumper by Morgan Tuck. She got her hands on the offensive rebound, scored on a layup and was fouled by Emily Leer. Stewart’s three-point play with 10:13 left in the half did not go unnoticed by UConn coach Geno Auriemma.

“We need Stewie to be a little more aggressive like she was a bunch of times (Tuesday),’’
Auriemma said. “She got one offensive rebound and she came out of nowhere and scored and got fouled. That’s the first time I’ve seen her do that all year, and we need her to do more of that.’’

Stewart finished with 14 points (6-of-9 FG), six rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals in 21 minutes against the Wildcats. Over the last six games, she is averaging 13.2 points and 7.7 rebounds.

“I definitely feel like I’m getting back into a rhythm and a flow,’’ Stewart said. “Just going out there and playing and having a good time is something that I really enjoy doing.’’

Stewart was averaging 16.9 points on 59.8 percent shooting from the field and 7.2 rebounds through the first 10 games this season. However, she then suffered through a two-game stretch where she scored nine points at Stanford Dec. 29 and a season-low four at Oregon Dec. 31. She was a combined 3-of-12 shooting in 36 minutes.

Stewart did score 10 points against Notre Dame Jan. 5, but again she was off the mark shooting-wise (5-of-17).

It was four days later during the second half at Georgetown when you could see a difference in her play. Stewart was back looking like the dominant player that she can be, finishing with 12 points (5-of-9) and a season-high 13 rebounds in 20 minutes. She followed by scoring 20 points against Syracuse Jan. 19 and 13 against Duke Jan. 21.

“I don’t think it was anything in particular,’’ Stewart said in reference to what sparked her recent resurgence. “I just wanted to go out and I wanted to have fun. I don’t know if it went away. I think a lot of times I would just over-think things. And I just need to get back to just playing the game.’’

Rich

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DespiteTuesday’s 76-43 win over Villanova, UConn’s Geno Auriemma has suffered more losses to Wildcats’ coach Harry Perretta than to any other coach during his 27-plus season with the Huskies. Perretta is 11-36 overall against Auriemma.

Here is a breakdown of the coaches who have the most wins against Auriemma …

Harry Perretta (Villanova) 11

Bob Foley (Providence) 10

Muffet McGraw (Notre Dame) 9

Pat Summitt (Tennessee) 9

C. Vivian Stringer (Iowa/Rutgers) 8

Joe Mullaney Jr. (St. John’s) 7

Margo Plotzke (Boston College) 6

Tara VanDerveer (Stanford) 6

Barb Jacobs (Syracuse) 5

Ferne Labati (Miami) 5

Kirk Bruce (Pittsburgh) 4

Sylvia Hatchell (North Carolina) 4

Rich

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Sophomore Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis produced yet another standout performance in tonight’s 76-43 win over Villanova. She finished with 19 points (5-of-6 3-pointers), four rebounds and five assists in 24 minutes.

It was the fifth time this season that Mosqueda-Lewis has made at least five 3-pointers in a game. She has also scored at least 19 points in four of the last six games (18.2).

And something that might have been missed, Mosqueda-Lewis first got poked in the right eye and then threw her contact lens out of bounds with 9:09 left in the game. She would play on before taking the left lens out during a media timeout with 7:53 left.

“I just got hit in the eye and I felt my contact coming out,’’ Mosqueda-Lewis said. “It was on the side of my face. I just wiped it off and then it’s a lot harder to see with one contact than one. So I just took the left one out and played the rest of the game with no contact in.’’

Mosqueda-Lewis played 58 seconds without the use of either contact lens until leaving the game for good. She said that also she played without a contact lens twice last season.

“I can’t see very much’’ Mosqueda-Lewis said. “I can see objects. I can’t see faces. I can see the color of people’s jerseys and I can see the orange of the rims. So that’s all I need to see.’’

Caroline Doty was bothered by knee, back and ankle issues and played just 15 minutes. She had three points, three rebounds and three assists.

Rich

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Sophomore Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis did not want to get into a 3-point shooting contest with Villanova Tuesday. The Wildcats specialize in launching shots from beyond the arc.

Mosqueda-Lewis thought it would be more beneficial for the third-ranked Huskies to work the ball inside to center Stefanie Dolson. The strategy proved to be effective, but Mosqueda-Lewis also found some space on the perimeter.

Dolson finished with 20 points and eight rebounds and Mosqueda-Lewis added 19 points, four rebounds and five assists to lead UConn to a 76-43 win before 10,324 at the XL Center. Mosqueda-Lewis was 5-of-6 from 3-point range.

The Huskies (19-1, 6-1 Big East) have won 10 straight games and 28 of 30 overall against Villanova.

The Wildcats (16-4, 5-1) entered the game ranked eighth in the nation in scoring defense (50.0). UConn surpassed the mark with 15:53 remaining in the game.

Breanna Stewart added 14 points, six rebounds, three assists and three blocks for UConn. Kelly Faris had six points, eight rebounds and four assists.

The Huskies opened the game by scoring the first seven points. They added runs of 10-0 and 15-0 in the half.

UConn led by 20 (34-14) with 8:15 left in the first half. The Huskies led by as many 30 in the half.

Jesse Carey led Villanova with nine points (3-of-8 3-pointers). The Wildcats, who missed their first nine 3-pointers, shot 27.6 percent from the field.

Rich

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Stefanie Dolson had 15 points and six rebounds and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis added 14 points and four assists for UConn.

The Huskies opened the game by scoring the first seven points. They added runs of 10-0 and 15-0 in the half.

UConn’s lead is 27 at the half despite going scoreless for the final 4:32.

Taylor Holeman, Laura Sweeney and Rachel Roberts each have four points for Villanova. The Wildcats missed their first nine 3-pointers and are shooting 29.6 percent from the field.

Rich

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WHEN: Tuesday, 7
WHERE: XL Center, Hartford (16,294)
RECORDS: Villanova 16-3, 5-1;UConn 18-1; 5-1
ON THE AIR: SNY (Andrew Catalon and Meghan Culmo); WTIC-AM 1080 (Bob Joyce and Debbie Fiske)
UP NEXT: Saturday at St. John’s, 2 p.m. (SNY)

LINEUPS

VILLANOVA

• Laura Sweeney, F, 6-2 Sr.: 16.6p, 10.2r, 3.0s, 3.0b last five games
• Rachel Roberts, G, 5-9 Sr.: 15.0p, 2.2r, 2.4a last five games
• Katherine Coyer, G, 5-10 Fr.: 6.2p, 3.5r last six games
• Devon Kane, G, 5-9 Jr.: 6.8p, 3.5r, 2.5a last four games
• Lauren Burford, F, 6-0 Soph.: 12.5p, 2.5r, 2.5a last two games
• Megan Pearson, F, 6-0 Sr.: 1.8p (3-of-16 FG), 3.5r, 2.8a last four games
• Emily Leer, F/C, 6-2 Soph.: 5p vs. Syracuse Sat.; 4p previous three games
• Taylor Holeman, F, 6-1 Soph.: 5.4p, 3.8r last five games
• Jesse Carey, G, 5-10 Sr.: Scored 3p in last eight games (1-of-6 FG)

UCONN

• Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, F, 6-0 Soph.: 17.6p, 7.2r last five games
• Breanna Stewart, G, 6-4 Fr.: 13.0p, 8.0r, 2.2b last five games
• Stefanie Dolson, C, 6-5 Jr.: 14.8p, 6.4r, 3.6a last eight games
• Kelly Faris, G, 5-11 Sr.: 29a/21 turnovers last six games; 54/11 first 13 games
• Bria Hartley, G, 5-7 Jr.: 5.0p (6-of-20 FG), 3.0r, 5.7a last three games
• Brianna Banks, G, 5-9 Soph.: 7.0p, 3.0r last three games
• Morgan Tuck, F, 6-2 Fr.: 7p in 18 min. at Cincinnati; 4p in 17 min. previous two games
• Caroline Doty, G, 5-10 Sr.: 2.1p, 2.7r, 2.3a last seven games
• Moriah Jefferson, G, 5-7 Fr.: 3.5p, 2.0r, 1.0a last two games
• Kiah Stokes, C, 6-3 Soph.: 1.8p, 4.0r, 1.3b last four games

STORY LINES
CENTURY MARK: Faris needs two 3-pointers to reach 100 in her career. That would give the Huskies four players with 100 career 3-pointers on the same team for the first time. Hartley (152), Mosqueda-Lewis (149), and Doty (132) have already reached the mark.
SUCCESS STORY: UConn coach Geno Auriemma has endured 130 losses in 27-plus seasons at UConn. No opposing coach has had more success against the Hall of Famer than Villanova coach Harry Perretta, who has earned 11 wins in 46 meetings.
CATCHING UP: Doty and Carey are friends and former teammates at the high school (Germantown Academy) and AAU levels (Fencor). This will be the final time in their career that they will meet in a regular-season game.

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