University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
5-2,0-0AAC
University of Maine
2-5,0-0America East
Dominant Second Half Leads UConn to 64-40 Victory Over Maine
12/1/2019 7:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HARTFORD, Conn. – A momentum swinging run to begin the second half helped lead the UConn men's basketball team (5-2) to a 24-point victory over the Maine Black Bears (2-5) Sunday afternoon at the XL Center.
Four players finished in double figures for the Huskies, led by freshman James Bouknight who poured in 15 points and five rebounds off the bench. Alterique Gilbert scored 13 points to go along with three assists and two rebounds, Tyler Polley posted 12 points, and Brendan Adams added 11 points off the bench to round out the quartet.
The Huskies got off to a fairly quick start, getting six points from Gilbert and five from Polley to open up an 11-2 advantage just three minutes into the game.
Maine chipped their way back, drawing within a point (13-12) following a hookshot by Stephane Ingo.
Five more points from Gilbert and a Bouknight layup allowed UConn to push its lead back to eight and regain some breathing room. The Huskies continued to gain momentum as the game progressed, and closed the half scoring five of the last seven points to take a 31-24 lead into the break.
UConn snatched all the momentum with a 17-2 run early in the second half to grab a 52-32 lead. This dominant stretch was kickstarted by a Polley triple from the left wing and a transition layup from Jalen Gaffney closed it out. The run also featured a highlight reel, posterizing jam by Adams set up by a Vital's takeaway at the 14:48 mark. Vital intercepted an errant Black Bear pass and kicked the ball ahead to Adams who dribbled into the lane and yammed it over the head of Andrew Fleming.
The Huskies would coast the rest of the afternoon, locking up a 64-40 victory.
