University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
University of Iowa
UConn Goes After 2K Classic Championship
11/16/2018 3:35:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Meets Iowa In Title Game At MSG
NEW YORK, N.Y. – The UConn men's basketball team (3-0), fresh off Thursday night's 83-76 upset of  #15 Syracuse, goes after the championship of the 2K Empire Classic Friday night, facing Iowa (3-0) in the title game at Madison Square Garden (6:30 p.m.). Iowa defeated #13 Oregon, 77-69, in the second semifinal Thursday night.
The Huskies, undefeated under new coach Dan Hurley, put on a dazzling performance against Syracuse, applying a relentless, high-pressure defense that held the Orange (2-1) to 39.4 percent shooting. Syracuse held the lead for just 10 seconds in the game as UConn jumped out to a 13-4 lead, watched Syracuse bounce back to take a 15-13 lead, for 10 second before the Huskies took it back.
On the offensive end, UConn was explosive, hitting 12 three-pointers and compiling 22 assists on 28 hoops. In all, nine of the Huskies got on the scoreboard, led by five double-figure scorers. Senior Jalen Adams and redshirt sophomore Alterique Gilbert led the scoring parade with 16 points apiece, while grad student Tarin Smith had 14, and Christian Vital chipped in 11. Senior Eric Cobb was the fifth Husky in double figures with 13 points, adding 13 rebounds as well for the team's first double-double of the season.
Syracuse kept the pressure on, closing to within 70-66 with 3:42 remaining, but Gilbert and Adams hit back-to-back three-pointers to pump the lead back up to 76-66 and give the Huskies the cushion they needed to stay in control.
In Iowa, UConn will face a big team that boasts four players 6-9 or taller. The Huskies have played Iowa three times, losing twice, but the last time was in November, 1999.
UConn has won 10 championships of one sort or another on the court at Madison Square Garden, including seven Big East Tournament crowns, the 1988 NIT, the 2013 2K Sports Classic, and the 2014 NCAA East Regional.
Tonight, the Huskies take aim at No. 11.
