Moore scored 21 points, Tina Charles added 18 and the Huskies coasted to their 42nd consecutive victory, beating Holy Cross 87-34 on Friday night.

"Our focus coming into the locker room (at halftime) was to limit their threes," Moore said. "I didn't think we were all that satisfied with what we did."

It was the 117th win in a row against an unranked nonconference opponent for the Huskies (3-0), who have won their first three games by an average margin of 49.3 points after going undefeated last season.

During their run to their sixth national championship last season, the Huskies beat teams by an average of 30 points.

On Friday, they controlled the inside, frustrated the Crusaders with a new-look fullcourt press and tipped passes that led to easy baskets from a scrappy 1-2-2 zone, but they allowed some open three-pointers.

The Huskies led 52-22 at halftime, but Holy Cross nailed five three-pointers in the opening 20 minutes.

"We set goals each game," Huskies point guard Caroline Doty said. "We want to get these goals each game."

UConn coach Geno Auriemma, who earned his 699th career win, was satisfied with his team's defense.

The Crusaders shot 26.7%.

"We did a couple of different things (defensively) and I thought we handled it very well, especially our big kids," he said. "I thought they handled it very well. Maya was Maya. Tina was Tina and everybody else filled in."

Doty added 11 points and seven assists for the Huskies. Moore was 9-for-12 from the field and had seven rebounds.

Auriemma cleared the bench with 14:14 to play in the second half with the Huskies leading 67-24.

"I've got a whole boat load of '41 and done' T-shirts," Holy Cross coach Bill Gibbons joked before praising the Huskies' defense. "I still think it's one of (Auriemma's) best defensive teams. They're so long and athletic."

Bethany O'Dell led Holy Cross (2-2) with 11 points.

Playing at the DCU Center instead of on campus offered UConn a "home" feel in its first true road game of the season, with most of the crowd cheering for the Huskies.

"It's just a great opportunity to go out there and play against them," said O'Dell, who was 3-for-5 from three-point range. "You're competing against the best so you have to get better."

UConn beat No. 13 Texas 83-58 in a neutral-court contest in San Antonio on Tuesday. The Huskies will have six days off before facing Hofstra on Nov. 27.

In the first half, UConn combined its height advantage and the superior play of Charles and Moore to dominate inside, opening a 16-3 lead 6:11 into the game.

The only area in which UConn struggled in the opening half was three-point shooting, as they went 3-for-12. The Crusaders were 5-for-11 from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes, but they were held to one basket in the lane.

Holy Cross, which committed 17 first-half turnovers, had trouble with the Huskies' zone early. At least a half dozen times in the half UConn tipped passes out high in the zone, leading to breakaway baskets.

After Holy Cross' Whitney Fremeau hit a three-pointer from the top of the key, making it 29-14, UConn scored the next 17 points. Charles and Moore each had a basket in the spree. Doty capped it with a three-pointer with 4:50 to play.

In the second half, UConn scored 15 of the first 17 points before Auriemma went to his bench. Heather Buck's basket in the paint made it 83-31 with just under 6 minutes left.

It was the 20th meetings between the schools. UConn has won 18, including a 96-37 win in Storrs last season.

"I think our kids can gain something positive from this," Gibbons said. "Playing against the best is a great barometer."

Enlarge By Adam Hunger, AP Connecticut's Tina Charles, who had 18 points and 10 rebounds in the Huskies' 87-34 victory Friday, shoots over Holy Cross' Whitney Fremeau.