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Final Score: UConn Women's Basketball Topples Temple, 85-60

The Huskies looked sluggish at times in the first half but rode the consistent excellence of their two best players to another large margin of victory.

Derik Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Moriah Jefferson and Breanna Stewart combined for 49 points and 15 assists as UConn (24-0, 13-0 AAC) struggled early but ended up beating Temple 85-60 on Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia. The Huskies have now won 61 straight games and remain undefeated in the American.

UConn has struggled a little in its last two visits to Temple. Perhaps it is the small gym with the sellout crowd on top of the court. Geno Auriemma said his team just looked tired during the first half. Maybe it was due to the fact that the Huskies just knocked off their last, and supposedly toughest, non-conference opponent in South Carolina and had a bit of a hangover. Or maybe Temple is just a tough out at home and there is a good reason the Owls are tied for second in the American.

Stewart and Jefferson carried UConn for stretches as the other three starters struggled with their shot- the usually consistent Morgan Tuck scored just two points on 1-of-9 shooting. Kia Nurse scored three points and committed six turnovers.

Stewart stuffed the stat sheet to the tune of 24 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, six blocks, and four steals. Jefferson did the same, with 25 points, eight assists, and eight steals. Gabby Williams was a bright spot off the bench with 19 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.

At the start of the game, it looked like UConn was just going to run the floor against the Owls (17-8, 11-3). They got off to a quick start and it almost looked like a game from a month ago when the Huskies won by 55 points. However, this was not the case as Temple's aggressive five-guard lineup frustrated the UConn forwards.

The Huskies went up 24-16 at the end of the first quarter, but the Owls went a mini-run halfway through the second quarter, even taking a 28-27 lead. In typical UConn fashion, the Huskies responded with a run of their own to end of the half up 40-30.

Temple would get the deficit to six at 49-43 midway through the third quarter but the Huskies responded again, outscoring the Owls 36-17 the rest of the way.

Next up for the Huskies is a home game against Cincinnati on Wednesday night in their annual "Play 4 Kay" game.