UConn men cruise to 99-45 win over Maryland Eastern Shore following Maui disappointment

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HARTFORD – The UConn men’s basketball team was in need of a decisive, blowout victory after its winless trip to the Maui Invitational earlier this week. Meeting Maryland Eastern Shore at the XL Center on Saturday, two days after their return flight, the Huskies cruised to a 99-45 victory without leading scorer, Alex Karaban.

In a balanced effort, UConn had six players in double-figure scoring and 10 players with at least five points.

Liam McNeeley and Jaylin Stewart, in Karaban’s typical starting spot, led the way with 16 points a piece while Solo Ball and Aidan Mahaney added 12 and 11, respectively. Jayden Ross recorded the first double-double of his career with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Tarris Reed Jr. notched his fourth of the season with 10 points and 12 boards.

Karaban suffered a head injury near the end of UConn’s final game on Maui against Dayton and was cleared at a local hospital before joining the team’s flight back late Wednesday night. He sat on the bench in street clothes on Saturday.

Hassan Diarra found Samson Johnson wide open for an alley-oop dunk and, as the Hawks turned the ball over – five times in the first five minutes – McNeeley and Ball took advantage and finished inside. Stewart, the sophomore making his first career start, nailed a 3-pointer and Diarra followed suit to push the lead out to 18-4 after seven minutes.

Coach Dan Hurley turned to freshman point guard Ahmad Nowell, who played some effective minutes in Maui, about midway through the opening half. He assisted Jayden Ross on a dunk and scored five points in a flurry. A triple from McNeeley pushed UConn’s lead to 30-8 with 8:35 on the clock.

Ball finished a layup a minute later, but UConn went about six and a half minutes before scoring again on the Maryland Eastern Shore defense, which entered the game ranked No. 357 of 364 Division I programs by KenPom’s metrics.

Mahaney eventually ended the drought with a layup through contact and the Huskies took a 40-18 lead into…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/uconn-men-cruise-99-45-020700785.html

Author : Hartford Courant

Publish date : 2024-12-01 02:07:00

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