HARTFORD, Conn. --- Renee Montgomery scored 21 points, and Maya Moore added 19 to help top-ranked Connecticut beat No. 4 Rutgers 66-46 on Monday night and win the Big East regular- season championship in front of a near-sellout crowd of 15,779.

Tina Charles added 15 points and 17 rebounds for the Huskies, who won their second Big East regular-season championship in a row and 13th in 15 seasons.

With the victory, Connecticut (29-1, 15-1) earned the top seed in the conference tournament that starts Saturday. Rutgers (24-5, 14-2) will be the No. 2 seed.

With Connecticut leading by two points early in the second half, Charles took over. She scored six points during a 10-2 run that extended the lead to 44-34 with 10:49 left. It was Charles' 14th double-double of the season.

Rutgers cut the deficit to six on Matee Ajavon's free throws, but Montgomery answered with a 3-pointer to start a 22-8 spurt to close the game. Montgomery scored 12 points during the run.

The Huskies got a scare when Moore went down when she was fouled hard by Epiphanny Prince. Moore got up and went to the sideline stretching her back. With the Huskies enjoying a big lead, she did not return to the game.

Essence Carson led Rutgers with 15 points.

ST. JOHN'S 61, NO. 9 NOTRE DAME 51

In New York, Kia Wright scored 14 points, and feisty, undersized St. John's stunned the Irish.

St. John's (16-13, 7-9), which qualified for the Big East tournament by beating Cincinnati on Saturday, has won four of its past five, the only loss to top-ranked Connecticut.

The Red Storm have now beaten the Irish only twice in 18 meetings.

SYRACUSE 73, NO. 14 WEST VIRGINIA 51

In Syracuse, N.Y., freshman guard Erica Morrow scored a season-high 25 points, Chandrea Jones added 22, and Syracuse stunned West Virginia.

Syracuse (22-7, 10-6 Big East) improved to 13-2 at home. The Mountaineers (23-6, 12-4) had beaten Syracuse six times in a row, but they were no match, as their long-range attack sputtered.