University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
2-0,0-0Big East
Hartford
0-1,0-0America East
Huskies Beat Hartford, 69-57
11/27/2020 10:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball
STORRS, Conn. - A balanced offensive attack featuring four double figure scorers helped lead UConn (2-0) to a twelve point victory over the Hartford Hawks Friday night at Gampel Pavilion. James Bouknight led the way with 18 points and four rebounds while Jalen Gaffney added 15 points of his own, which was a new career-high. R.J. Cole and Isaiah Whaley each chipped in 10 points to round out the quartet of double-digit scorers. Hartford was led by Moses Flowers, who dropped 24 points and pulled down seven rebounds in the losing effort.
The contest was the debut of Tyrese Martin in a UConn uniform and he did not disappoint, scoring six points on 3-4 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds and three assists. Whaley also hauled in 10 boards and blocked five shots for the Huskies.
UConn jumped out to a 12-point lead following a 14-2 burst to begin the game, with Bouknight notching 12 of his 16 first-half points during the four minute span. The Husky defense was solid in the opening period, sending back five shots while holding the Hawks to just 30-percent shooting from the field. UConn led by as many as 19 points in the frame and entered halftime with a 38-26 lead.
Harford cut into the Husky lead at the start of the second, using an 11-2 run of their own to pull within three points, 40-37, at the 13:56 mark. Triples from Cole and Gaffney, an Adama Sanogo dunk and another Cole jumper gave UConn some breathing room and pushed the lead back to double-digits as the game neared the home stretch. The Huskies were able to keep the Hawks at bay for the remainder of the night to earn a 69-57 victory.
The Huskies held the Hawks to 32 percent shooting, including 26.7 percent from beyond the three-point arc. UConn turned it over only 12 times and outscored UHart 38-22 in the paint.
