With not much going right offensively for UConn, Maya Moore took over.
The senior All-American had 28 points and 11 rebounds to lead No. 2 Connecticut to a sloppy 66-46 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday night.
''Maya was Maya, obviously,'' UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. ''We go to her so often and she delivers so many times, it almost becomes commonplace.''
Moore had 20 points in the first half, marking the fifth time this season she scored at least that many in the opening 20 minutes. Bria Hartley added 13 points and Stefanie Dolson had 12 for the Huskies (18-1, 7-0 Big East).
Despite being outscored 16-0 during one stretch, Pitt only trailed 34-28 at halftime. The Panthers kept it close in the second half before UConn outscored the Panthers 17-3 over the final 11 minutes.
Taniesha Harrison led Pitt (9-9, 1-4) with 16 points. Chelsea Cole had 10 points and 12 rebounds.
''I was really proud of my team because I thought we competed,'' said Pitt coach Agnus Berenato, who has seven freshman and four seniors.
UConn outscored Pitt 32-22 in the point and had a sizable advantage at the line. The Huskies made 14 of 20 free throws while Pitt was just 3-for-4.
''I was really disappointed that we didn't get to the foul line,'' Berenato said. ''It wasn't that we didn't try to get to the foul line. I felt like we really attacked.''
Auriemma didn't know why his team didn't play well. UConn shot 43.1 percent from the field and was 2 of 13 on three-pointers.
''There wasn't a great flow to the game,'' Auriemma said. ''It seemed to be a chore or a struggle to get anything done, for whatever reason. I'm not sure.''
UConn played its first game since freshman Samarie Walker informed Auriemma that she was planning to transfer, leaving the team with a seven-player rotation. Walker, who averaged 5.8 points and 6.2 rebounds, did not play in an 83-57 win over No. 10 North Carolina earlier in the week.
With Walker gone, freshman Stefanie Dolson played 26 minutes and scored six points in decisive second-half run late. She remained on the floor despite picking up her third foul in the opening minutes.
''I knew I still had to stay aggressive on the defensive end. No dumb fouls, coach always says,'' Dolson said. ''After the third one, I knew I had to buckle down and not pick up any more fouls.''
After Pitt cut the deficit to 49-43 on Harrison's layup with 11:49 remaining, Dolson scored consecutive baskets to push the lead to 10. She had four rebounds, a blocked shot and an assist in a 15-2 run before leaving with 1:49 remaining.
''The first half, it looked like we were playing well and then we weren't,'' Auriemma said. ''It wasn't until the second half when we got organized defensively. That made a world of difference.''
