Undefeated regular-season champs

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Renee Montgomery had to know that Rutgers would do everything they could to make No. 1 UConn's pursuit of a perfect regular season difficult. So the senior point guard calmly rattled off the game's first 11 points.

It was a blow that left the Scarlet Knights stunned, but not beaten. But Montgomery scored 23 points and the Huskies held off a furious second-half rally to defeat Rutgers, 69-59 in front of 7,151 at the Louis Brown Athletic Center.

"I definitely think we did get a fight," Montgomery said. "We know when we come to [their arena], their crowd, and how they play at home, you know it's going to be a tough game."

For UConn (30-0, 16-0 Big East), the win over their rivals clinched its second undefeated Big East campaign in three years, and its fifth undefeated march through regular season since 1994-95.

"In our league, to win every game, that's pretty good," said UConn coach Geno Auriemma. "And I'm proud of the fact that for the most part, our guys show up every game and they play and we try to play the game as well as it can be played. If you ask any coach in America, it's hard to do that."

Montgomery, Tina Charles (14 points, seven rebounds) and Maya Moore (12 points, six rebounds) each scored in double figures for the Huskies, who led by 16 points at halftime and shot 55 percent from the field, but still were held to their lowest point total this season.

Behind stifling defense, an untimely technical on Auriemma and an inspired 24-point performance by Rutgers center Kia Vaughn on her senior night, the Scarlet Knights climbed within six points in the final minute. But Moore hit four free throws down the stretch to provide the winning margin.

The Huskies jumped on top early, opening the game on a 21-5 run keyed by Montgomery's 11 points and four each from Charles and Tiffany Hayes.

"I was open," Montgomery said. "My teammates screened for me, sometimes I'd just be dribbling and someone would get hit with a screen and I'd be open."

Rutgers (18-11, 9-7) made things a bit interesting midway through the first half. An 11-2 run, capped by Nikki Speed's 3-pointer with 7:27 left, drew the Scarlet Knights within seven. But UConn answered with a 13-2 run of its own.

"It's like you're in a boxing ring, said Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer. "You just put your face in there, and you're staggering and stumbling, and you get knocked down. You're dazed."

Still, the Scarlet Knights maintained intensity on defense (12 steals) and the boards (a 30-27 rebounding advantage, 15-4 on the offensive glass) throughout, but in the end, UConn's defense ensured that Rutgers could not match UConn's ability to score.

"I thought we did a good job of playing defense when we had to," Auriemma said.

With under six minutes left, UConn's lead was 16, at 58-42. But Rutgers forced four more UConn turnovers over the next four minutes. Then, with 1:34 left, Auriemma was assessed a technical foul for arguing a call with an official. Epiphanny Prince (11 points) knocked down a pair of free throws to pull Rutgers within seven.

In the final two minutes, Tina Charles and Vaughn each scored on two straight possessions. Vaughn's hook shot with 38 seconds left pulled Rutgers within six, 65-59, but the Scarlet Knights would not score again.

"Those are the kinds of situations we're faced with every day in practice," Moore said. "Coach does a great job preparing us so that when we come to games like this, we're ready for it."

Rutgers shot just 36.1 percent from the field. But they stayed within striking distance because, over a five-minute period early in the second half, the Huskies turned the ball over seven times in nine trips down the floor.

That allowed Rutgers to cut a 17-point deficit down to as few as eight. But Montgomery hit a wide-open 3-pointer on UConn's ensuing possession to give the Huskies a 47-36 lead with 11:42 left, and UConn retained a double-digit lead for most of the rest of the game.