No. 2/2 Women’s Basketball Rolls Past No. 9/8 Duke
In Paradise Jam Championship Game 74-48
Freshman Maya Moore named tournament MVP, Sophomore Tina Charles named to All-Tourney Team

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ST. THOMAS, U.S.V.I. (November 25, 2007) – The No. 2/2 University of Connecticut women’s basketball team used a balance offensive attack which saw four players register double-figure points for the second consecutive game as it rolled to a 74-48 win over No. 9/8 Duke in the championship game of the Paradise Jam Tournament on Sunday night in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.

Freshman Maya Moore (Lawrenceville, Ga.) was named the tournament’s most valuable player after posting her fifth consecutive game in double-figure points to open her career. Sophomore Tina Charles (Jamaica, N.Y.) was also selected to the all-tournament squad.

The win marked the Huskies second over a top-10 opponent in the last three games and upped their record to a perfect 5-0. Duke slips to 5-1 following the 26-point loss.

Charles led UConn with a team-high 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, while Moore added 12. Renee Montgomery (St. Albans, W. Va.) and Kalana Greene (Saint Stephens, S.C.) rounded out the Huskies’ double-figure scorers with 10 each.

Duke opened the game with a 4-0 run but the success was short lived as Connecticut answered with a 13-0 spurt over the next four minutes to take the lead for good. Montgomery sparked the surge with a pair of 3-pointers.

The Huskies led by as many as 17 in a first half that saw UConn drill four 3-pointers in a 10-minute span and hit 10 of its first 17 shots. UConn limited the Blue Devils to 9-of-28 shooting in the opening 20 minutes. Chante Black led Duke with 11 points in the first half. The Huskies countered by shooting 14-of-25 from the field for a .560 clip.

All nine players who saw action in the first half registered points as the Huskies went into the break holding a 16-point advantage at 40-26. Mel Thomas (Cincinnati, Ohio) tied her single-game career-high for assists in the first 20 minutes with eight. Overall, the Huskies handed out 12 assists on 14 first-half field goals.

The second half was much of the same as the Blue Devils had no answer for the Huskies’ offensive attack. Connecticut used an 8-0 run early in the second stanza to up its margin to 22 points at 53-31 behind a pair of baskets by Brittany Hunter (Columbus, Ohio) and four points points from Moore.

For the game the Huskies shot .532 (25-of-47) from the field and registered 18 assists on 25 field goals. Connecticut’s defense forced Duke into a .357 (20-of-56) clip from the field.

No. 2/2 Connecticut returns to action on Thursday, Nov. 29 when it plays host to BYU in a 7:00 p.m. (ET) tip at the Hartford Civic Center.

Postgame Notes

- UConn has won 18 consecutive regular season games following tonight’s win over Duke.

- UConn moves to 4-3 all-time in the series vs. Duke following tonight’s win, snapping a two-game losing streak to the Blue Devils.

- UConn improves to 24-13 all-time against ACC opponents following tonight’s win over Duke.

- Tonight marked the 1,000th game in the history of the UConn women’s basketball program.

- UConn extended its winning streak in the month of November to 14 consecutive games and improved its all-time record in the month to 79-14.

- UConn moves to 5-0 for the third consecutive season and the 11th time in the last 12 years.

- UConn’s game with Duke represented the final of three games over a four-day span at the Paradise Jam Tournament in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.

- No. 9/8 Duke represented UConn’s second opponent ranked in the top 10 nationally over its last three games - the first time the Huskies have faced such a stretch since the 2005 BIG EAST Tournament.

- UConn improves to 121-51 all-time versus opponents ranked in the Associated Press following tonight’s win over No. 9/8 Duke.

- UConn improves to 54-34 all-time vs. opponents ranked in the Associated Press Top 10 following tonight’s win over No. 9 Duke.

- UConn improves to 283-8 all-time in game televised on Connecticut Public Television (CPTV).

- UConn freshman Maya Moore extended her streak of games with double-figure points to five straight.

- UConn’s Maya Moore and Tina Charles were named to the Paradise Jam All-Tournament Team.  Moore was named as the tournament's most valuable player.