University of Connecticut Athletics
Huskies Cruise to 102-75 Victory in Opener
11/25/2020 10:36:00 PM | Men's Basketball
STORRS, Conn. - Sophomore James Bouknight poured in 20 points and pulled down eight boards while redshirt-junior R.J. Cole added 17 points, six assists and four steals in his debut to help lead UConn (1-0) to a 27-point rout of Central Connecticut State University (0-1) in the season opener. Brendan Adams, Tyler Polley and Isaiah Whaley rounded out the double-figure scoring for the Huskies, finishing with 15, 14, and 12 points, respectively. Myles Baker led the Blue Devil offense with 17 points in the loss.
The majority of the first half was a back-and-forth affair. Neither team was able to gain much of an advantage through the opening 16 minutes of play, which featured five ties and 10 lead changes. With the game knotted 33-33 at the 5:33 mark of the first, the Huskies utilized a 15-3 run over the next four minutes to open up a 12-point margin. Paced by 14 points from Bouknight and 11 from Cole, UConn held a 48-41 lead at the break.
A 13-4 run to begin the second half gave the Huskies a 61-45 lead, but the Blue Devils responded with a 10-3 burst of their own to pull within single digits, 64-55, at the 12:48 mark. That would be as close as the visitors would get in the final frame, however. Baskets from Bouknight and Cole in addition to a pair of throwdowns from both Adams and freshman Andre Jackson catapulted the Huskies to a 21-point lead with 8:36 to go, and they never looked back.
Game Notes:
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Five Huskies finished the game in double-figures.
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Freshman Adama Sanogo scored eight points while Andre Jackson and Javonte Brown each added four points apiece in their collegiate debuts.
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UConn finished the game with a sizable margin over the Blue Devils in rebounds (43-23), second chance points (21-2) and points in the paint (48-24).
Up Next:
UConn plays host to the University of Hartford on Friday night at 8:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on CBSSN.