STORRS, Conn. _ UConn's world was rocked and shocked Friday night.
The men's basketball team, ranked 18th in the nation, unveiling a heralded recruiting class, was beaten _ convincingly _ by Wagner, 67-58 at Gampel Pavilion.
It was the first time UConn has ever lost a season opener at Gampel Pavilion, which opened 27 years ago. The Huskies hadn't lost a season opener anywhere in 16 years. And UConn led in the game only once _ 2-0. The Huskies came from 10 back to tie in the first half, and 12 points to tie in the second, but never got over the top. When Michael Aaman hit two free throws with 1:39 left, Wagner led by seven again, and it was over. Huskies fans began streaming out.
UConn shot just 35 percent from the floor, missing easy shots most of the night, but especially in the second half. Terry Larrier scored 19 and had Alterique Gilbert 14.
Romone Saunders scored 15 before leaving with an injury, and Aaman also scored 15 for Wagner, which won 23 games last year, including the NEC regular season title. A better than average mid-major, sure, but not a team that should give a good UConn team so much trouble. This loss will likely haunt UConn for a while. The Huskies play Northeastern at Gampel on Monday.
The Huskies scored first, on a Jalen Adams lob to Amida Brimah, but Wagner jumped off to a 7-2 lead and led nearly all of the first half, as the Huskies struggled to find the right combinations and get doing.
The Seahawks hit nine of their first 14 shots from the floor, as 260-pound center Mike Aaman really hurt UConn inside, with nine points and four rebounds in the first five minutes. When A.J. Sumbry hit a jumper, Wagner led 21-11 with 11:42 to go in the half and Kevin Ollie called a timeout.
The Huskies turned up the defensive pressure and began disrupting Wagner on defense, but couldn't get going offensively, couldn't get the rebounds to generate the fastbreak. They slowly grinded their way back into the game, though, as Gilbert scored eight points, and Christian Vital five, two freshmen making an impact. Another freshman, Vance Jackson, scored his first points at the line, tying the game 35-35, with two free throws with 1:03 left in the half.
Wagner got the last word before the break, when Romone Saunders hit a 3-pointer. The Seahawks led 38-35.
UConn came out shooting cold in the second half, and Corey Henson hit a three to put Wagner up six again. An upset was starting to look more real by the minute. When Saunders hit a 3-pointer, Wagner opened a 12-point lead with 13 minutes to play.
Gilbert hit two of three at the line, and after a frenzied sequence, Gilbert scored on a long pass from Larrier to bring the Huskies back to life, down 49-43 with 11:12 to go. Larrier hit a 3-pointer off the glass to make it a three-point game.
Saunders left the game with an injury, and the crowd had become more and more of a factor, as Wagner began turning it over. When Larrier hit one of two at the line, UConn had a 12-0 run across 6{ minutes and tied the game at 49.
