University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
1-0,0-0Big East
Stonehill College
0-1,0-0NEC
UConn MBB Dominates Stonehill In Season Opener
11/7/2022 11:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
UConn Athletic Communications / Nov. 7, 2022
HARTFORD, Conn. --- Led by BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year Adama Sanogo, the UConn men's basketball team opened its 2022-23 season with a dominating 85-54 victory over Stonehill College on Monday night at the XL Center.
Sanogo poured in 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting and added 6 rebounds, while redshirt freshman Alex Karaban added 13 points and junior Hassan Diarra had 11 points and 7 assists as the Huskies (1-0) got out of the gate fast and never looked back.
Freshman center Donovan Clingan led the rebounding for UConn with 7 boards and chipped in 9 points in his college debut as nine different Huskies hit the scoring column.
"I thought we played hard," UConn Coach Dan Hurley said. "Naturally, there were some nerves, and we took some bad three-pointers, but I think we got what we wanted out of the game."
The Huskies played without the services of co-captain junior Andre Jackson, out with a finger injury, and sophomore star Jordan Hawkins took a hard fall just 11:00 in to the game and did not return.
Stonehill (0-1), playing its first game at the Division I level, shot just 35.6 percent from the floor and 29.4 percent from the three-point line. Isaiah Burnett and Andrew Sims led the Skyhawks with 12 points apiece.
"They play a very unique style," Hurley said. "Their hard cuts were impressive and they are very well-coached."
UConn, using the added depth it has acquired this season, broke out to a 23-7 lead. Using a balanced offense, the Huskies widened the gap to 38-19 at halftime.
The Huskies were never threatened in the second half, building the margin to 51-24, 61-36 and 74-44 before coasting to the finish line.
It was the 13th time that UConn has held its home opener at the XL Center and the 13th time that the Huskies emerged with a win.
UConn continues its non-conference schedule on Friday (6 p.m., FS2), taking on New England rival Boston University at Gampel Pavilion.
