Gap between No. 1 and No. 2? 30 points

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Geno Auriemma isn’t interested in talking about the gap between No. 1 Connecticut and the rest of women’s college basketball. He might not have much of a choice after the way the Huskies dismantled second-ranked North Carolina on Monday night.

“I told the players in the locker room that the only gap I’m interested in is the one that exists between when we’re playing great and when we’re playing poorly,” the coach said. “If that gap keeps narrowing, then I’ll be happy.”

That’s perhaps the toughest competition the Huskies will face at this rate.

Renee Montgomery scored 21 points to help the Huskies beat the Tar Heels 88-58, dominating a matchup of unbeaten teams from start to finish and handing North Carolina its worst loss in almost six years.

Maya Moore had 19 points and 12 rebounds for Connecticut (18-0), which turned one of the most anticipated games of the season into just another lopsided victory. Connecticut built a double-digit lead early in the game and led 46-30 at the break, then increased the margin against a deeper and supposedly more athletic opponent.

Connecticut constantly beat the Tar Heels’ trapping defense for easy baskets and dominated the glass.

While UConn shot 47 percent, the Huskies controlled the game by taking a 53-32 edge on the boards and grabbing 21 offensive rebounds – with several coming as the Tar Heels (17-1) desperately tried to get back in the game midway through the second half.

By the end, Connecticut had made North Carolina look just as helpless as everyone else has against the Huskies this year, including third-ranked Oklahoma – which lost 106-78 in Storrs in November.

When asked what it would take for someone to beat the Huskies, coach Sylvia Hatchell quipped, “Why don’t you tell me?”

“They came into our house and showed us how to play basketball,” she said.