Tiffany Hayes wasn't particularly impacted when she found out that she set a Connecticut program record for points in consecutive games.

However, she was reduced to tears when the subject of playing on what would have been the 23rd birthday of her close friend Jasper Howard.

"One of my friends (Howard) who passed said to play every play like it is your last you will ever play and his birthday is today. I think I have been living by that and it gives me a lot of motivation."

That was about all Hayes could get out as she was asked a pair of follow up questions about the emotional impact of playing on Howard's birthday as well as the No. 6 UConn hat she was clutching while meeting with the media after Saturday's 77-62 win over South Florida.

Yeah, it is," Hayes said when asked if it was extra emotional game playing on his birthday. Then her words trailed off as she began to cry and turned away from the group of reporters surrounding her.

Hayes had 33 points in the game giving her 68 over her last two games. Before this week, the highest scoring total by a Husky in consecutive games is 65 set by Kerry Bascom in 1991.