Mohegan — Crystal Dangerfield relinquished her starting role with the commencement of UConn's postseason, previously spelling Kia Nurse, who was injured.

But Dangerfield, an electric 5-foot-5 freshman guard, has a distinct approach which helps her with that.

“I think coming off the bench helps me ease into it a little more. Coming off the bench is not as bad as people think it is,” Dangerfield said.

Dangerfield scored in double figures for the second straight day in the American Athletic Conference tournament semifinals Sunday before 6,491 fans at Mohegan Sun Arena, finishing with 14 points, three assists and a pair of steals and aiding top-seeded UConn in a change of pace against a physical University of Central Florida team.

Napheesa Collier had 16 points and 12 rebounds and Gabby Williams 16 points and nine rebounds for the Huskies (31-0), which added to their NCAA record with their 106th consecutive victory. UConn will meet No. 3 South Florida (24-7) in Monday night's championship game beginning at 7 p.m. (ESPN2). South Florida topped No. 2 Temple 63-58 in the night's second semifinal.

The Huskies have never lost an AAC tournament game, sweeping the league's three previous titles, including the last two over South Florida. UConn beat the Bulls for last season's championship 77-51.

“It was a really physical game tonight. We just tried not to get caught up in that,” Williams said.

“Obviously, one of the biggest things that we rely on is transition baskets. I mean, if you have to walk the ball up the floor, you have to attack their half-court defense for 40 minutes, it's not going to be fun and it's not going to be successful,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “Crystal was a big factor on both ends.”

Dangerfield, averaging 6.6 points per game this season, finished Saturday's 105-57 quarterfinal win over Tulsa with 11 points and seven assists in 29 minutes. On Sunday, she played 26 minutes and shot 5-for-9, hitting a pair of 3-pointers.

UConn led 16-14 in the first quarter when Dangerfield pulled up for an open jump shot with 37 seconds remaining and drilled it. She hit a 3-pointer in the third quarter as the Huskies lengthened their lead from 12 (37-25) to 24 (61-37) and she finished with nine points in the fourth quarter.

“There's things people haven't even seen in the games that we've seen in practice,” UConn's Katie Lou Samuelson said of Dangerfield. “She's definitely just gotten more comfortable out there.”

The Huskies shot 29.4 percent (5-for-17) in the second quarter and limped into halftime having seen Nurse, just two games back after missing four games due to a stress reaction in her right ankle, lying on the ground after a hard foul.

UConn's best weapon in the first half was Samuelson, who hit three 3-pointers and three free throws for 12 points.

Collier scored immediately for the Huskies to start the third quarter, sparking a 10-2 run which featured Nurse comfortably on the front end of a fast break, six points in all from Collier and a jump shot from Williams. Nurse played for 21 minutes, up from 15 Saturday.

“Obviously, that was a very physical and very hard-fought game,” Auriemma said. “We definitely had to dig in and do a lot of stuff and we were able to make some adjustments at halftime, but nothing was easy. I thought the way we responded in the third quarter, the way we came out in the second half really was a lot of fun for me to see. Our players generally respond well to challenges.”

Zykira Lewis had 22 points for UCF (20-11), including four 3-pointers. The Knights certainly competed in the rebounding department, with 15 offensive rebounds to 10 for UConn, edging the Huskies in second-chance points 15-14.

UConn had a distinct advantage at the free throw line, going 15-for-19, hitting its first eight to extend its streak to 28 straight in the tournament. UCF was 1-for-1, a season low for attempts by the Knights.

The Huskies will be looking for their 22nd conference tournament title. UConn beat South Florida in its regular-season finale last week in Tampa, 86-68.

v.fulkerson@theday.com

AAC tournament / women

At Mohegan Sun Arena

Semifinals

Sunday's Results

No. 1 UConn 78, No. 4 Central Florida 56

No. 3 South Florida 63, No. 2 Temple 58

Final

Today's Game

UConn vs. South Florida, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)