HARTFORD, Conn. — The UConn men’s basketball team took care of business defeating Grambling State, 88-59, on Saturday afternoon at Gampel Pavilion.
The Huskies came into the game missing their two of their most efficient big-minute scorers in sophomore forward Adama Sanogo and senior guard Tyrese Martin. Sanogo is out a minimum of three weeks with an abdominal strain, and Martin is out two to four weeks with slight sprain and an avulsion fracture in his left wrist.
Their lack of presence was felt on both sides of the court early. The Huskies allowed the Tigers to make three straight 3s from the right corner within the first 10 minutes of the game.
As the game progressed, the Huskies defense improved. The rest of the Huskies slowly chipped in to fill the scoring load, with four Huskies finishing in double figures, led by R.J. Cole with 18. Cole wasn’t particularly efficient from the field, shooting just 4 for 14, but made up by shooting 10 of 11 from the free-throw line.
UConn’s pressure and aggression were key in this one. Nothing about this game was particularly pretty, but UConn created extra shot opportunities for itself by forcing turnovers. In the first half, the Huskies had 12 more shots than Grambling after forcing 13 turnovers.
Cole, Hawkins and Whaley each had 10 points at the half. Whaley was the most efficient of all three players, shooting 3 for 6 from the field.
Whaley’s presence was felt all over the court finishing with 12 points, eight rebounds, two blocks, and one steal and shooting 4 for 8 from the field.
