UConn executed its game plan early and perfectly.
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis scored 17 of her 24 points in the first half while Stefanie Dolson added 14 of her 20 before intermission to help third-ranked UConn cruise to an 85-51 win over Marquette on Saturday.
Mosqueda-Lewis scored nine points and Dotson six during a 21-3 run to open the game for the Huskies (14-1, 2-1 Big East) points.
''I thought the ball movement was great that first 20 minutes,'' UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said. ''We got the exact shot we wanted to get most every time down the floor. It's been awhile since we've come out with that kind of focus when we start our games. It was great to see.''
The Huskies had 14 of its 25 assists in the first half.
Dolson scored on a layup after UConn won the tip. Mosqueda-Lewis followed with a 3-pointer and Dolson connected on a jumper as UConn was off to exactly the start Auriemma wanted.
''We made it a point at the beginning of the game to get Stephanie the ball as much as possible,'' Auriemma said after his team improved to (8-0) all-time against Marquette. ''And we did. I think that created a whole other set of problems for Marquette.''
The Golden Eagles have never had it easy against the Huskies. Coming into the game, UConn has averaged 29.7 points in all of the game, save one.
''UConn is the best,'' Marquette head coach Terri Mitchell said. ''They jumped all over us. We were back on our heels.''
Mosqueda-Lewis was one point shy of matching her season-high and three away from her career-best set against Marquette Feb. 25, 2012. She didn't mind being that close one bit.
''I knew I was close to my career high, but I was happy that the other guys got to go in and play,'' she said after shooting 6 of 8, including 3 of 5 from 3-point range. ''They don't really get that many minutes. So to see them go out there and be able to learn was nice.''
Kelly Faris scored 11 points, had eight assists and five steals and Brianna Banks added 12 points for the Huskies.
UConn lost guard Bria Hartley after she rolled her ankle in the first half. She played five minutes and is questionable for Tuesday's game against Louisville. The Huskies were also without star freshman Breanna Stewart, who sprained her left ankle in practice Friday. She is day-to-day.
''I'm hopeful that both of them will be back on Tuesday,'' Auriemma said. ''Some sprained ankles are worse than others. So, we'll see.''
Morgan Tuck added seven points and grabbed a team-high and career-high nine rebounds for UConn.
Sarina Simmons scored 19 points to lead the Golden Eagles (8-7, 0-2). Her teammates were 2 for 16 in the first half as the Huskies handed Marquette its worst loss overall this season.
Katherine Plouffe, the Golden Eagles' leading scorer and rebounder, had a tough game. She finished without a point of rebound. She came in averaging 14.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.
The Huskies stretched a 35-point halftime lead into a 77-33 advantage midway through the second as Dolson scored six points, Mosqueda-Lewis added five and Faris 4.
''They were on their game,'' Mitchell said. ''Look at their numbers. They had great nights.''
UConn shot 50.7 percent (35 of 69) from the floor while Marquette was 34.6 percent (18 of 52).
