University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Memphis
Shorthanded Huskies Fall at Memphis
1/16/2018 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) Mike Parks Jr. and Jeremiah Martin had 21 points and 11 rebounds each as Memphis built an early lead and ran away from UConn, 73-49, on Tuesday night at the FedExForum.
Kareen Brewton Jr. added 10 points for the Tigers (13-6, 4-2 American Athletic Conference), who never trailed in the game en route to their fourth straight victory.
The Huskies (10-8, 3-3), who saw their three-game winning streak snapped, were led by 15 points and nine rebounds from Josh Carlton. Christian Vital added 14 points and leading scorer Jalen Adam, who averages 18.5 a game, had 11 points.
Terry Larrier, the Huskies second-leading scorer at 15.3 points a game, sat out with lingering headaches. Even his 15-plus points wouldn't have made a big difference as UConn seemed out of sync all night. The 49 points in a game were a season-low for UConn, below the previous low-water mark of 57 against Michigan State on Nov. 24.
UConn's offensive struggles began early and didn't improve. Besides shooting 42.1 percent in the half, the Huskies committed 11 turnovers before the break. UConn also missed eight of its 10 shots from outside the arc in the half.
Those struggles, coupled with Parks scoring 13 points for Memphis, helped the Tigers carry a 32-18 into halftime.
Memphis would extend the lead to as many as 31 points after halftime, and shot 50 percent (28 of 56) for the game.
UConn finished 17-of-46 shooting (37 percent) and committed 17 turnovers.
BIG PICTURE
UConn: The game got away from the Huskies in the first half, scoring a season-low 18 points before the break. Between shooting woes and poor ballhandling, UConn never got on track offensively. The Huskies, who connect on 75.6 percent of their free throws on the season, never got to the line in the first half, and things never got better in the second.
Memphis: The Tigers got a big start from Parks, who entered the game averaging 5.9 points a game. Parks had 11 points early and 13 at the half as Memphis led by as many as 13 points en route its 32-18 lead at the break.
UP NEXT
UConn: Entertains No. 1 Villanova on Saturday,
Memphis: Travels to Tulsa on Saturday.
