University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
10-5,7-5Big East
Providence
11-11,7-9Big East
Men’s Hoops Dominates Providence in Bouknight’s Return
2/16/2021 9:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball
STORRS, Conn. - Sophomore star James Bouknight scored 18 points in his return and junior guard Tyrese Martin matched Bouknight's 18 and added seven rebounds to lead the University of Connecticut men's basketball team past Providence, 73-61, on Tuesday evening at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs. With the win, the Huskies improve to 10-5 on the year and 7-5 in BIG EAST action. The Friars slip to 11-11 overall and 7-9 in the loop.
Bouknight's 18 came on 7-13 shooting in 24-minutes as he saw his first game action since January 5. He also snared four rebounds and recorded two thefts. Martin was outstanding in 36-minutes as his 18 points came on 8-16 shooting.
Junior point guard R.J. Cole chipped in with 13 points and dished-out five assists.
The two teams were tied on three separate occasions in the first half but a three-pointer by Martin inflated the UConn lead to eight points, 35-27, at the 2:43 mark. The Friars were able to shrink the deficit to six points heading into the break and a David Duke three-pointer to open the second-half scoring pulled PC within three points, 37-34, with 19:34 remaining in regulation.
But it was all Huskies from there and the team mounted a 14-2 run and seized a 51-36 lead with 13:42 to go. The spurt was keyed by seven points from Cole and UConn never looked back.
The Huskies shot a solid 47 percent from the floor and 42 percent from deep and held a commanding 42-32 advantage on the glass. UConn also dominated in the paint, outscoring the Friars 46-28 and held a 13-7 edge on the fast break.
UConn is back in action on Saturday, February 20 when the team travels to Philadelphia to take on Villanova. Game time is set for 1 p.m. and the contest will be televised nationally on FOX.
