UConn vs. South Carolina: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2016 Regular Season

The No. 1-ranked Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team extended its winning streak to 60 games Monday night in a 66-54 defeat of the No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks at Columbia's Colonial Life Arena.

As impressive as the winning streak is, it pales in comparison to the team's top two streaks of 70 and 90 games, per ESPN Stats & Info. This one came in front of a raucous crowd, per GamecockWBB:

Despite the much-anticipated heavyweight matchup of 22-0 teams, the contest wasn't close, as the Huskies jumped ahead 17-8 after the first quarter and never looked back. 

Connecticut, which led wire-to-wire, looked so good early on that Jim Fuller of the New Haven Register thought the Huskies were playing much better than they actually were:

Breanna Stewart led the way for the Huskies with 25 points and 10 rebounds. She had 13 points alone in the first half, impressing former Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Mel Greenberg:   

Stewart was tough inside, but she showed she has a bit of an outside game as well, per the American Athletic Conference:

South Carolina was outscored by just one in the second quarter but still trailed 35-25 at the half—rare air for a team that has won 16 of its 22 games by at least 10 points. To make matters worse, leading scorer A'ja Wilson left in the second quarter with an injury.

David Caraviello of Charleston's Post and Courier noted Wilson was playing through pain:

She returned toward the end of the third quarter, but it was too late, as Connecticut already led 54-33 and coasted to the victory.

Connecticut Sun WNBA player and ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike tweeted what pretty much every fan thought while watching the game:

A storyline within the game was the matchup between two of the sport's best coaches. UConn's Geno Auriemma and South Carolina's Dawn Staley coach together on the U.S. national team. ESPN's Mark Jones was glad to be able to share the experience with his daughters:  

In addition to Stewart, solid contributions from Huskies players included Morgan Tuck with 16 points and Moriah Jefferson with 12 points and six assists. After Wilson went down with the injury, Sarah Imovbioh tied her with 13 points for the team lead.

Connecticut shot 42.1 percent from the floor while holding South Carolina to 37.7 percent. The Huskies also knocked down six of 16 three-pointers, while the Gamecocks connected on just three of 10.

The nonconference loss is not going to hurt South Carolina in terms of NCAA tournament seeding considering the Huskies—who have won all 23 games by double digits, including one against the No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish—do this to pretty much every team. The only thing the outcome does is prove just how much better this Connecticut team is than the rest of the women's college basketball field.

If any team is going to stop the Huskies from winning a fourth straight—and sixth in the past eight years—national title, it is going to have to find a strategy currently not present in any playbook.

Postgame Reaction

Auriemma had strong praise for Staley’s team after the game, per Kerith Burke of SNY:

He didn't stop there, according to David Cloninger of The State:

The Gamecocks thanked their fans for selling out the arena and supporting the team until the final seconds:

The Huskies look to extend their streak to 61 on Sunday against the Temple Owls, a team they beat by 34 points twice last season, and should have no problem doing so.

South Carolina has a touch matchup Thursday against the No. 16 Florida Gators, but if its home crowd is anything like it was against the Huskies, look for an easy Gamecock victory.