FIGHTING LIKE 'CATS AND DOGS

Sunday's game against No. 24 Notre Dame brought more than just another win for the No. 1 women's basketball team.

It also brought preparation for tonight's game at 7:30 against Villanova - the last game at Gampel Pavilion for the regular season.

Like the Fighting Irish, the Wildcats are known for their slower-tempo games. The difference is in the two teams' records: Notre Dame is now 7-6 in the Big East, while Villanova is coming in 9-4 in conference games.

"I think Tuesday will be similar because both teams are very patient, wanting to use the clock and trying to use all five players on the perimeter a lot of times," said head coach Geno Auriemma.

"We're tired. Chasing those guys around the whole game is not easy," he said. "I wish we were playing Wednesday, but I guess that's not in the cards… Even the schedule makers think we don't need any breaks."

Recently, however, Villanova dropped its last two games against Big East opponents by double-digits.

The Wildcats are led by forward Laura Kurz, who is averaging 18.3 points per game and is the 28th leading scorer in the country. Despite her success on the court, Kurz scored two points against UConn last year.

Still, the Huskies are not looking for another 22-1 run to break open a game after struggling through it for much of the first half. In fact, Maya Moore said that the team cannot always win by 30, which was evident against the Irish on Sunday.

But what does help UConn go on those runs is "being aggressive."

"I think we were just waiting for something to happen," Moore said. "I think we were just aggressive; looking for the ball, flashing, having confidence that our shots will go in and getting good stops on defense."

Indeed, the Huskies have been known for their offensive prowess and their ability to limit opponents' field goal percentage to just 33.6.

On the other hand, UConn is shooting 51 percent thus far. Tiffany Hayes - who is shooting 44.7 percent from the floor - was once again named Big East Freshman of the Week Monday for the third time this season.

Throughout the team's first 27 games, Renee Montgomery has been the go-to player. Often looked on as the heart of the team by opposing coaches, including Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw, she has taken the team under her wing.

It is her leadership that Auriemma and her teammates said helps the Huskies battle through difficult spots.

"I think as a senior and her just being here longest, she often takes that role," Moore said after Sunday's game. "…We try to get it from other people. I think it's easiest coming from her. We see her doing her thing and getting excited, it's just so easy for us to feed off of it."

Maybe that's because Montgomery scored at least 10 points in 25 games this season, including in each of the last 13. By halftime on Sunday, Auriemma said that it was her versus Notre Dame.

He also said that she is the key to winning for the Huskies.

The closeness of the last game, according to Moore, will have the team scrutinizing what needs to be fixed. Montgomery echoed those sentiments, but added that it was more exciting for her to see what was going to happen next.

"Scoring has never been that much of a problem for us," Auriemma said. "Like I told the team…you're at somewhat of a disadvantage when you play at Connecticut because the lessons that you learn to really help you become a better team are when you lose."

Not that fans would complain. In fact, the past two games were the highest attended ones this season.

Auriemma said that he hopes the crowd will once again show up to Gampel - Montgomery's, Cassie Kerns' and Tahirah William's last regular season game in Storrs.

"Believe me, the coaches, we notice it," he said. "I remember [assistant head coach] Jamelle [Elliott] saying 'Hey, they like our team again.' Winning 36 games and going to the Final Four is not enough to make people love you. You've got to play a certain way, you've got to do certain things and I think this team's easy to like."