Stewart and Unbeaten UConn Ace Another Test Connecticut, the defending women's national champion, began this season by obliterating a series of opponents it was expected to steamroll as part of a season-opening, 10-game winning streak. But the next two opponents were expected to provide significant tests. The top-ranked Huskies continued to roll when they prevailed at second-ranked Duke, 83-61, on Tuesday. The second game that was expected to serve as a measure of their excellence, against No. 24 California in the Maggie Dixon Classic on Sunday at Madison Square Garden, did not prove much of a test at all. Once Connecticut overcame a slow start, it coasted past the Golden Bears, 80-47, behind Breanna Stewart's 29 points and 10 rebounds. If the Huskies (12-0) had any doubt about their ability to reach the Final Four for the seventh consecutive year and ultimately repeat, recent routs should eliminate that. "After playing Duke and California this week, we're obviously really confident in what we're doing," said Stewart, a sophomore forward. But we've still got a lot to focus on in practice. Coach Geno Auriemma, in his 29th season, makes certain of that. He admitted that he nitpicked his way through video of the 22-point romp at Duke, searching for the smallest deficiency. "Playing a team like Duke on the road and knowing there are so many things we can do better, it's great for our team to know that," he said. Auriemma even found fault with Stewart, urging the 6-foot-4 forward from Syracuse to pound her way into the paint more often. She obliged against California (7-3) and was rewarded with her third consecutive double-double, a streak she is eager to build on. "Being consistent is one of the things I wanted to focus on this year," she said. I'm more confident on the court, I'm smarter on the court and I'm practicing hard. Connecticut led by 12-9 with 10 minutes 39 seconds left in the opening half before Stewart ignited a run of 11 consecutive points with a soft jump shot and a layup. The Huskies were on their way to a 40-20 halftime cushion; they were never threatened after that. "Obviously, we struggled to get things going," Stewart said. I was trying to be more aggressive to help get the team going. Connecticut bested California in every way. The Huskies hit 46.4 percent of their field-goal attempts (32 of 69) to 29.9 percent (20 of 67) for the Golden Bears. Connecticut forced 18 turnovers that it converted into 17 points. And its bench almost doubled the output of California's reserves, 27-14. The annual doubleheader, in its eighth year, honors Maggie Dixon, a promising coach at Army who died at age 28 of an arrhythmia in April 2006. She had led the Black Knights to their first N.C.A.A. tournament in her first season at West Point. JOHN'S 72, TEXAS A&M 70 Aliyyah Handford, an explosive sophomore guard, drove between two defenders for a layup with two seconds left, and St. John's (6-4) ended a three-game losing streak with a victory against a high-powered team only two years removed from a national championship. "I knew they were going to compete, but they finished at a great event against a top-notch opponent," said Joe Tartamella, in his second year as coach at St. John's. Gary Blair, in his 11th year at Texas A&M, said officials had missed a traveling call on Handford's winning basket. But he also faulted a defense that began the day ranked 11th nationally in allowing an average of 54 points per game. "The bottom line is she split us like they split us the whole day," Blair said. Handford paced all scorers with 27 points. St. John's shot 50 percent from the floor (26 of 52), including 61.9 percent in the second half. The Red Storm received a lift from Eugeneia McPherson, who sustained a season-ending knee injury five games into last season. McPherson, a fifth-year senior, has shifted to point guard. Making her first start there against the Aggies (7-4), she responded with 14 points and 7 assists. Her 3-pointer from the right side one second before the shot clock expired created a 64-60 margin with 2:32 left. McPherson sank all four of her foul shots in the final 2:16. Tartamella gave significant minutes to 10 players. McPherson believes the depth will become an increasing factor as the season progresses. "We can run and run and run," she said. Texas A&M faltered against the zone defense of St. John's, shooting 42.9 percent (24 of 56) from the field. Karla Gilbert (15 points) and Courtney Williams (13) paced the Aggies. Blair noted his team's 16 turnovers and said: "It's just poor decisions. Every time we fought to get back in it, we would make a dumb foul, or we wouldn't get the call we wanted on a travel or something like that. But when you keep hoping, you got to make things happen yourself.