The names have changed, but the Connecticut dynasty remains the same.

The four-time reigning national champs won their 83rd consecutive game with a 72-61 victory at No. 2 Notre Dame (8-1) on Wednesday night at the Purcell Pavilion, snapping the 35-game home winning streak of the Irish. The Huskies (8-0) need to win their next eight to eclipse their NCAA record of 90 straight wins set from 2008-10.

With the score deadlocked 34-34 at halftime, UConn asserted control in the second half in what became a physical, grinder game. Whereas the Huskies were an efficient 12 of 23 (52.2 percent) from the floor and 12 of 13 from the foul line in the final 20 minutes (19 of 20 overall), the Fighting Irish were only 12 of 30 (40.0 percent) from the field in the second half and finished 4 of 8 overall from the foul line.

The Connecticut roster no longer includes top-three WNBA picks Breanna Stewart, Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck, but its latest “Big Three” — forwards Gabby Williams (19 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and five steals) and Napheesa Collier (20 points, 7 of 9 from floor and 6 of 6 from the foul line), plus guard Katie Lou Samuelson (18 points) — also proved too much for Notre Dame.

The Huskies took control early with an 11-2 lead and maintained a 23-14 cushion at the end of the first quarter. They took their biggest lead (25-14) of the half on a Williams basket to open the second quarter.

Thereafter, Notre Dame went on a 20-5 run to nudge ahead, 34-30. After converting 9 of 15 from the field in the first quarter, UConn went 5 of 18 in the second, with Irish freshman Jackie Young and junior Mychal Johnson coming off the bench to aid the defense, and both added a three-pointer on the other end of the court.

However, just like in the first quarter, the Irish began the third quarter poorly by missing their first seven shots and turning over the ball four times to fall behind 42-34 — yet tied it again at 42 with an 8-0 run.

With 49.9 seconds left in the third quarter and the Huskies ahead 44-43, the game’s most decisive run occurred when UConn closed with a 6-0 spurt on a couple of steals and two free throws with only one second left to make it 50-43 entering the fourth quarter.

“It kept our confidence level high and may have put a damper on them because it happened so quickly,” UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said of that pivotal stretch.

Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw pointed to a poor start in the first quarter as equally damaging, but admitted that the final minute of the third quarter was “probably a difference in the game.”

The closest the Irish were able to come in the fourth quarter was 50-46 with 8:39 left, but the Huskies kept the pressure on, especially with drives to the basket in one-on-one situations.

Junior forward Brianna Turner had a strong stat line for the Irish at the end of the game with 16 points, 12 rebounds (eight on offense), three assists, two blocks a steal and no turnovers, but she missed on about five field goals inside the circle (7 of 14 from the field), and McGraw’s greatest agitation after the game was the team's inability to find Turner consistently in the post, or time the passes correctly to her.

Auriemma said Notre Dame played more one-on-one offense than usual, but McGraw countered “that was not by design.” Too much panic and forced action resulted in poor decisions offensively. The top two Irish scorers through eight games, sophomore wings Arike Ogunbowale and Marina Mabrey, combined for 5-of-22 shooting, with each going 0 of 4 from three-point range.

Late in the contest, Young injured her right ankle but was able to put weight on her feet while being helped off the court. McGraw listed her as “doubtful” for Saturday’s game at DePaul.

Three-Point Play

1. UCLA 1964-75 Redux — Women’s basketball basically is witnessing John Wooden’s dynasty from 1964-75 when the Bruins won 10 national titles in 12 years, including seven in a row. Graduate Lew Alcindor & Co., but then have Sidney Wicks, Curtis Rowe and Henry Bibby. Graduate them, and here come the Bill Walton Gang.

Somewhat similar to Alabama football today, it’s the Huskies … and then everyone else playing for No. 2 until proven otherwise. In a “rebuilding year,” UConn already has vanquished then-No. 2 Baylor (Nov. 17) and then-No. 2 Notre Dame by identical 72-61 scores.

2. Depth Defying — If there is a vulnerable area for UConn that can give Notre Dame and others a glimmer of hope next April, the Huskies do have a short bench. Williams, Samuelson and Kia Nurse all played the full 40 minutes, and the seventh player, 6-5 center Natalie Butler, played merely eight minutes. The advantage for UConn is in the much weaker American Athletic Conference, it can give starters some rest during the regular season and not wear them out once the NCAA Tournament commences.

Irish senior Lindsay Allen (11 points, eight assists, five rebounds and one turnover) played the full 40 minutes for the Irish, but blamed herself for not setting her teammates up well enough to anticipate second and third passes, or feeding the post well enough.

3. Choose Your Poison — Notre Dame played almost exclusively man-to-man defense because of concern about UConn’s three-point shooting (the Huskies were 1 of 9 beyond the arc in the game), especially Samuelson’s. As a trade-off, Samuelson and others repeatedly were able to beat the Irish off the dribble and had a 42-30 advantage in points in the paint.

The Irish didn’t fare much better beyond the arc (3 of 14) despite some decent looks, per Auriemma.

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