No. 1 UConn @ Central Florida | American Athletic Conference | 1.1.14
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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Working Stefanie Dolson into Connecticut's offense was simply a matter of getting her the ball.
Dolson had 25 points and 12 rebounds to lead top-ranked Connecticut to a 77-49 victory over Central Florida on Wednesday.
Dolson made her first six shots and was 11 for 14 for the game. The 6-foot-5 senior had scored 15 points in her previous two outings, including a disappointing seven-point night in a 67-34 victory against Cincinnati on Sunday.
"The easy answer is we threw her the ball," Huskies coach Geno Auriemma said of Dolson's third 20-point game of the year. "We made a concerted effort after last Sunday to make sure we had post players touch the ball more than we did before."
Auriemma also praised Dolson's ability in transition.
"Some of our players jog - Stefanie runs the floor hard," Auriemma said. "She ends up with layups in transition. The guards do a great job of finding her in half court. Put those together, and you have a night like tonight."
The Huskies (14-0 overall, 1-0 AAC) turned a 7-3 deficit into a 33-18 lead on Bria Hartley's 3-pointer with 10 minutes remaining in the first half. Connecticut led 46-22 at the break and by no fewer than 18 the rest of the way.
"We did a better job running the offense and not standing around," Dolson said. "The guards did a great job of finding me and I just finished for them."
Breanna Stewart added 11 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals for Connecticut.
After shooting just 41 percent against Cincinnati, the Huskies missed their first three shots, but then made 11 straight to take control.
"We're a good offensive team, so I'm not concerned when we miss a few," Auriemma said. "We're going to go on a spurt."
Briahanna Jackson scored eight of Central Florida's first 10 points, including a 3-pointer that gave the Knights their last lead at 10-7. She was held to two points for the remainder of the first half, but finished with 28.
Zykira Lewis added 10 points for Central Florida (8-5, 1-1). Erika Jones, who missed the Knights' nonconference schedule with an ankle injury, grabbed 12 rebounds.
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