Dec. 29, 1998

VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) - After a blowout of near-record proportions, Connecticut heads to Villanova on Tuesday for a Big East matchup that should be a bit more competitive.

The No. 1 Huskies' (9-0) 97-point margin of victory in a 117-20 win over Quinnipiac was just four points short of a record for a contest between two Division I teams. On Feb. 18, 1989, Louisiana Tech defeated Texas-Pan American 126-25.

This season marks Quinnipiac's first as a Division I member.

"There wasn't much they could do because of the talent level, but they played hard," said Marci Glenney, who came off the bench to score a career-high 14 points in 20 minutes.

UConn will face a Villanova team coming off a tough loss.

Danielle Green's bank shot with 15.7 seconds left overcame a solid second-half defensive effort by the Wildcats on Saturday, as the team dropped a heartbreaking 63-62 decision to sixth-ranked Notre Dame.

Villanova (4-5) forced 18 turnovers and kept the Irish from getting into an offensive rhythm, as Notre Dame shot just 41 percent (13-for-32) in the second half after shooting 57 percent (13-for-23) in the first half.

"We play a deliberate game where we try to cut down their number of attempts at the basket," Villanova coach Harry Perretta. "We try to make them value every possession. That's just the way we play.

"It's not as much stopping their offense. ... It's the idea of not letting them get 75 shots. If they get 75 shots and shoot 47 percent, we get killed."