COLUMBIA − Te-Hina Paopao scored 21 points on 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point range and UConn never led as South Carolina women's basketball rolled to a 83-65 victory Sunday in a sold-out Colonial Life Arena.

The No. 1 Gamecocks (23-0) kept their perfect record alive and moved to 6-0 against ranked opponents this season by dispatching the No. 9 Huskies (20-5). The win tied the largest margin of victory for South Carolina over UConn in series history.

Junior guard Paige Bueckers finished with 20 points and senior forward Aaliyah Edwards added 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Huskies.

South Carolina ended the third quarter with an 11-2 run after the teams had spent most of the quarter trading baskets. After a 3-pointer by freshman guard Tessa Johnson sent the crowd and the Gamecocks bench into a frenzy, South Carolina entered the final quarter with a 25-point lead.

Bueckers helped keep the Huskies in the game in the first half, scoring eight points in the second quarter alone, including a putback layup at the buzzer to cut South Carolina's lead down to 14 points.

The Gamecocks jumped out to a five-point lead just a few minutes into the game, breaking a 2-2 tie − the last time the game would be tied on the night. Paopao and Watkins combined for 14 points in the first quarter.

Raven Johnson earns first double-double

South Carolina sophomore guard Raven Johnson closed the third quarter with two free throws to tally her first career double-double, finishing the game with 10 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Johnson played the role of floor general for the Gamecocks throughout the game, dishing assists to her teammates while commanding the offense. Johnson also got a steal and a transition basket in the third quarter, then dished the pass to Tessa Johnson that gave the Gamecocks a 25-point lead at the end of the third quarter.

Johnson's scoring high her freshman season was against UConn, when she scored 14 points.

Te-Hina Paopao lights up scoreboard in first half

Paopao was South Carolina's motor on offense in the first half, scoring 16 points while shooting 4-for-5 from beyond the arc.

Paopao entered the game sitting second in the nation with a 48.5% 3-point percentage and lit it up from beyond the arc in the first half. She was averaging 11.6 points per game, good for third of the team, but blew by that total in the first half.

Paopao's shooting helped South Carolina build a lead as big as 19 points before the break, reaching its peak with one minute remaining in the half on a 3-pointer by Johnson − the first 3-pointer made by anyone besides Paopao for the Gamecocks.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: South Carolina, Dawn Staley roll past UConn, Geno Auriemma