COLUMBIA, S.C.

UConn coach Geno Auriemma watched his top-ranked Huskies put on a show at South Carolina that even he couldn’t believe.

Kia Nurse had 23 points and Katie Lou Samuelson added 20 as No. 1 UConn routed the defending national champion Gamecocks 83- 58 on Thursday night. The demolition included a 29-8 second quarter as the Huskies hit 11 of 18 field goals to turn a tight game into a runaway.

“If you really know about basketball, you’re going to say, ‘Wow, that’s amazing,’” Auriemma said.

That’s high praise from the longtime coach who passed his 1,000th win this season and saw his players mark themselves as overwhelming favorites for the program’s 12th national title this season.

“I guess in a sense, yeah, you could think that way,” Nurse said of the NCAAs. “The coaches have done a good job of getting us to think about what’s next. But obviously you take the positives away from every win.”

There were plenty of them for UConn.

Gabby Williams hit six of eight shots for 14 points and 14 rebounds. Napheesa Collier had 19 points and five blocks. Nurse made five of the Huskies’ 11 3-pointers and their defense held South Carolina All-American A’ja Wilson to 4-of-18 shooting, although she ended with 14 points, 16 boards and six blocks.

The Huskies opened things up early to lead 53-24 at the half on their way to a 21-0 start for the fourth time in five seasons. They extended their NCAA mark with their 48th straight road win and, if anyone needed more evidence, marked themselves the clear favorite for another NCAA title.

No. 7 South Carolina (18-4) fell to 0-6 all-time against UConn and 0-15 in program history against No. 1 teams.

The Gamecocks had hoped All-American A’ja Wilson, a sellout crowd and a super-charged atmosphere at Colonial Life Arena might rattle the Huskies. Instead it was UConn showing it was more than up to the challenge. Nurse hit two straight threes and Samuelson added one of her own as UConn broke on top 13-4 in the first four minutes.

The Huskies poured it on with a 19-2 start to the second quarter that ended any hopes of a South Carolina surprise.

A brief Gamecocks rally cut a 33-point lead down to 21 in the third quarter, but it was nowhere near enough.

Wilson, the two-time defending Southeastern Conference player of the year, struggled from the field, going 4 of 18 for 14 points. She also had 16 rebounds and six blocks. Wilson was recruited hard by UConn before picking the Gamecocks and lost to the Huskies all four of her college seasons.

“It’s kind of hard when you’re in a hole like that to dig your way out,” Wilson said.

Freshman Bianca Jackson had a career high 20 points for the Gamecocks.