HARTFORD, Conn. — The UConn men’s basketball team held on in a game that was not expected to be this close, defeating Maryland-Eastern Shore, 72-63, on Tuesday night at the XL Center.
UMES came into the game 0-26 all time against ranked teams, a record that seemed like it might be broken against the Huskies.
Here’s how it happened.
Keys to the game
In the first half, the rest of the team picked up the slack for Adama Sanogo, UConn’s scoring leader for the year. Sanogo shot only 3 for 8 for six points in the first half.
The rest of the team shot 13 for 21 (54%).
R.J Cole led all scorers in the first 20 minutes with 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting.
UConn (7-1) started off the with hot shooting from beyond the arc, shooting 5 for 7 from 3.
UConn’s calling card is built around defense and hustle, something that was nowhere to be found early, allowing UMES (2-5) to shoot 3 for 7 (42.9%) from 3.
In the second half, UConn shot horribly as a team which allowed UMES to stay too close for comfort.
UConn barely outrebounded UMES, 33-30, and the Hawks’ tallest player in their starting lineup is 6 feet 5.
Turning point
UConn seems to have this pattern where it lets mid-majors hang around the first 8-10 minutes of the game, but this time let things get uncomfortably close. At 12 minutes the Huskies were up one, 16-15.
With 11:44 left in the opening half, Da’Shawn Phillips had his pass stolen by UConn’s Andre Jackson, leading to a fast-break layup by Cole that put UConn up 18-15.
At the 10:20 mark, a second-chance bucket by Akok Akok put UConn up 22-17. UMES got within two points when Nathaniel Jr. Pollard connected on a jumper cutting UConn’s lead to just 22-20 with 8:31 left.
Although UConn went into the half with a 39-31 lead, its usually stellar defense struggled, allowing the Hawks to shoot 12 for 24 (50%).
UConn struggled to start the second half, allowing a 10-3 run that got UMES within a point at 42-21 with 15:40 to go.
An exasperated UConn coach Dan Hurley looked irate in the huddle during a subsequent media timeout at the 15:40 mark.
The Huskies responded with a 11-5 run to take a 53-46 lead and held on.
Player of the game
Cole. His scoring was the reason UConn held on to win. Every time UConn looked like it would give up its lead, he came through with a timely bucket. Cole finished with 25 points on 8-for-16 shooting.
Stat of the game
UConn’s offensive droughts will be a storyline to watch, as they shot just 8 for 26 (30.8%) in the second half.
Big-picture implications
UConn plays its next game on Saturday at Gampel Pavilion against Grambling State. The Huskies continues their hot streak against mid-majors, improving to 5-0.
Tyrese Martin sat out today’s game with a sprained left wrist, that will be something to monitor moving forward. ... Sanogo got massaged throughout the game and at one point left for the locker room only to later come back.
