Dec 18, 2003
By DONNA TOMMELLEO
AP Sports Writer
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Diana Taurasi had 15 of her 22 points in the second half to lead top-ranked Connecticut to its 600th victory, 81-55 over Arizona State on Thursday night.
UConn (7-0) reached the latest milestone just 103 games since recording its 500th win.
Taurasi helped UConn shake loose of the physical Sun Devils (5-3) early in the second half by scoring 10 points and making key steals in a 16-0 run to bust open a 34-all tie.
Ann Strother's 3-pointer with 8:58 left capped the spurt, giving UConn a comfortable 66-45 lead and Arizona never recovered.
UConn ran its home winning streak to 68, one shy of the NCAA mark held by Tennessee.
Taurasi also led UConn with seven assists and three steals. Jessica Moore finished with 15 points. She and Ashley Battle pulled down seven rebounds apiece for UConn, which outscored the Sun Devils 44-12 in the paint.
Kristen Kovesdy scored 13 points for Arizona and Kylan Loney added 11.
The teams combined for 40 fouls and solid free-throw shooting by Arizona kept the Sun Devils in the game early. The game had four lead changes. Jen Albert hit two free throws with 9:57 left in the first period to give the Sun Devils their final lead at 19-17.
UConn responded with a 14-4 run and finished with a 34-32 lead at the break.