CANCUN, Mexico — Faced with the unenviable task of facing top-ranked Connecticut, Northern Colorado coach Jaime White relied on a battled-tested methodology to motivate her team.

"We talked about how they are the same age as you are," White said. "You know, they have MySpace pages just like you do. Still, I think they were excited about playing one of the best teams we'll see, one of the best teams I've seen in all my years in basketball."

Sophomore forward Maya Moore scored 19 points to lead the top-ranked Huskies to an 85-40 rout of the smaller Bears last night in the Caribbean Classic.

"She's pretty consistent with the way she plays," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said of Moore, a first-team All-American. "She plays at a very high level."

Renee Montgomery added 15 points for the Huskies (9-0), who wiped out a 7-6 deficit with a 14-2 run that put the game in their control. Each of UConn's 10 players scored, and junior center Kaili McLaren had eight points and a season-high 10 rebounds.

Senior guard Jamie Schroder led the Bears (4-6) with 17 points. Whitley Cox added 10, all in the first half.

The Huskies have a day off before wrapping up the tournament tomorrow against Florida State.

Tina Charles, who had scored 29 points in each of her last two games, took a back seat to her All-America teammate in this one. Moore scored 15 points in the first half, helping the Huskies push the lead to 49-23 by halftime.

Charles wound up with just nine points — she had only two at halftime.

Moore made her first five shots, including three 3-pointers, and scored 13 of UConn's first 25 points. She added five rebounds, three assists and three steals.

She's on pace to score her 1,000th career point (she has 852 in 47 games) faster than any player in school history.

"I really don't think about those things," Moore said. "But scoring points for my team is something I do value."

NO. 3 STANFORD 78, SOUTH CAROLINA 47

Kayla Pedersen had 15 points and 16 rebounds, and Jayne Appel contributed 15 points and 14 rebounds, powering the Cardinal (8-2) past the Gamecocks (5-4) at Columbia, S.C. Stanford finishes its three-game East Coast swing at No. 11 Tennessee tomorrow.

"The focus of our team is on either side of me," said Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said, flanked by 6-foot-4 stars Pedersen and Appel. "If they keep playing like this, it could be a tall order for anyone to slow them down."

NO. 8 DUKE 97, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 89

Abby Waner hit a jumper with 3 seconds remaining in regulation, and the Blue Devils (8-1) dominated overtime to beat the Trojans (5-4) in Los Angeles and extend their winning streak to six.

Jasmine Thomas and Chante Black scored 22 points each, and Carrem Gay had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Blue Devils, who trailed 66-49 in the second half before going on a 20-5 run over the final three minutes to tie it at 82-all. Waner scored nine of her 10 points during the surge.

NO. 10 AUBURN 65, GEORGE WASHINGTON 51

DeWanna Bonner had 30 points and 16 rebounds, and Whitney Boddie added 14 points as the Tigers (11-0), playing for the first time in 12 days, saw their 19-point lead cut to 54-51 with 4:46 to go before beating the Colonials (5-4) in Washington.

NO. 14 RUTGERS 61, LAFAYETTE 29

Epiphanny Prince scored 23 points, Kia Vaughn added 13, and the Scarlet Knights (7-2) held an opponent under 30 for the first time since November 2000 with a rout of the Leopards (4-7) at Piscataway, N.J. for their fifth straight victory.

NO. 16 PITTSBURGH 89, FLORIDA A&M 59

Xenia Stewart scored 27 points, Shavonte Zellous added 21 and the Lady Panthers (9-1) held the Rattlers (4-5) to just one field goal in the first 7:58 while opening up a double-digit lead at Tallahassee, Fla., en route to their ninth straight win.

NO. 19 VANDERBILT 98, TENNESSEE STATE 82

Hannah Tuomi scored 23 points and Merideth Marsh scored eight of her 10 points during a 12-0 first-half run that put the Commodores (9-2) ahead to stay in a victory over the Lady Tigers (4-8) at Nashville, Tenn.

NO. 22 OKLAHOMA STATE 75, SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI 72

Andrea Riley scored 35 points, including two free throws with 9 seconds left, and the Cowgirls (6-2) survived a scare from the Golden Eagles (5-6) when Kenfra Reed missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer in the Desert Draw tournament in Las Vegas.

RANKED MEN

NO. 10 WAKE FOREST 86, RICHMOND 79

Chas McFarland had 20 points and 14 rebounds, and Jeff Teague scored 21, including eight in a 17-6 run that opened up a 69-55 lead with 5:55 remaining, as the Demon Deacons (10-0) held off the Spiders (5-5) at Richmond, Va.

NO. 24 MARQUETTE 94, WESTERN CAROLINA 77

Lazar Hayward scored 27 points, Jerel McNeal added 19 and the Golden Eagles (9-2) opened the game with a 12-4 run en route to a 53-27 halftime lead in rolling past the Catamounts (5-4) in Milwaukee.

DIVISION II MEN

CHAMINADE 89, DOMINICAN (N.Y.) 69

Mohamad Tangara scored 18 points, Joel Smith added 17, and the host Silverswords (3-5) opened up a 44-31 halftime lead and were never threatened in the second half in romping past the Chargers (4-6) at McCabe Gym for their second straight victory.

DIVISION II WOMEN

ST. MARTIN'S (WASH.) 84, CHAMINADE 38

Dara Zack had 17 points, and 10 rebounds, Jamey Gelha scored 13, and Krissy Bassett added 12, powering the Saints (7-2) past the Lady Swords (0-5) at Kea'au High gym on the Big Island. Samantha Saito scored 14 points to lead Chaminade.

HAWAI'I PACIFIC 87, MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS 64

The Sea Warriors (2-6) rolled past the Tritons (2-9) in the Hoop 'N Surf Classic at Kilauea District Park gym. Details and statistics were unavailable.