University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
3-0,0-0Big East
USC
3-1,0-0Pac-12
Huskies Hold Off USC
12/3/2020 10:02:00 PM | Men's Basketball
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – The UConn men's basketball team (3-0) picked up a hard-fought victory Thursday night as they knocked off the previously-undefeated USC Trojans (3-1), 61-58, as part of the Roman Legends Classic at neutral site Mohegan Sun Arena.
James Bouknight dropped in a team-high 18 points, including 13 in the first half, and pulled down seven rebounds. Tyrese Martin added 11 points and seven boards while Isaiah Whaley chipped in 10 points, five rebounds and five blocks. Senior Josh Carlton provided a nice spark off the bench with nine points and a team-leading 11 boards.
Freshmen Evan Mobley led the way for the Trojans with 17 points and seven rebounds.
After falling behind by six early on, UConn grabbed a 16-11 lead following a 13-2 spurt. The run featured a trio of trifectas from Bouknight (2) and Martin, and Carlton capped off the three-minute stretch with a second-chance bucket in the paint.
USC countered with a small run of their own and took a brief 22-21 lead at the 9:37 mark following a Noah Baumann jumper.
The teams traded baskets over the next few minutes until the Huskies gained separation with a 12-1 run to pull ahead by 10, 37-27, with 2:32 left to play in the half. Free throws from both squads closed out the opening half and UConn took a 39-34 advantage into the locker room.
UConn led by as many as 13 in the second half, taking a 53-40 lead following back-to-back paint baskets from Martin and Whaley. The Trojans refused to go away quietly, though. An Isaiah Mobley field goal closed a 9-0 USC run to pull the home team within four, 53-49.
With 4:04 remaining in the game and the Huskies ahead by three, Bouknight delivered a late blow to Trojans as the game headed into the final stretch. The sophomore converted an old fashioned three-point play that ended a four-minute scoring drought and extended the lead to 61-55.
USC wasn't completely out of the game yet, though, and after knocking down three free throws the Trojans still had a chance to send the game to overtime. Three attempts in the final seconds were off the mark, however, and the Huskies held on for a three-point win.
"We don't have a guy in the program who has played in the NCAA Tournament, and we talked about that going into this game," UConn Coach Dan Hurley said afterward. "If you want to play games in March, you need to win games like this."
