University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
2-0,0-0Big East
Stonehill
1-2,0-0NEC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stonehill | 30 | 37 | 67 |
| UConn | 52 | 55 | 107 |
Huskies Roll Past Stonehill on Saturday Afternoon
11/11/2023 3:39:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HARTFORD – The No. 6 UConn men's basketball team (2-0) led early and often in a 107-67 rout of Stonehill (1-2) in front of 14,606 fans on Saturday afternoon at the XL Center. The contest was the first of the year for the Huskies in Hartford. Tristen Newton (El Paso, Texas) led the way for UConn with 22 points, seven rebounds, four assists and five steals.
Newton was one of five Huskies in double-figures, as all five starters finished in double-digits. Behind Newton was freshman Stephon Castle (Covington, Ga.) who stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, a game-high eight rebounds and five assists.
Donovan Clingan (Bristol, Conn.) added 16 points and seven rebounds while Alex Karaban (Southborough, Mass.) finished with 15 and seven bounds. Cam Spencer (Davidsonville, Md.) was the fifth Husky in double-figures, scoring 12 points along with a game-high six assists. For Stonehill, Jackson Benigni tied for the game-high with 22 points.
The Huskies opened the game on a 12-0 run, getting six points apiece from Clingan and Newton in the early spurt. UConn ballooned its first half lead to as many as 23 and took a 52-30 advantage to the half.
UConn opened the second half on fire, out-scoring Stonehill 24-4 over the early portion of the period to swell the lead as high as 42. The Huskies went to their bench liberally over the final 10 minutes of action, eclipsing the 100-point mark with 2:02 to play.
Head coach Dan Hurley on the win
"I thought we played segments there. Obviously not a 40 minute game, but i thought you saw the potential at times where the defense was really good and the offense was really sharp."
Inside The Numbers
- The Huskies shot 53.5 percent from the floor, holding the Skyhawks to a 42.4 percent mark
- UConn held a 7-1 edge in blocked shots and has now blocked 17 shots in two games
- Newton's game-high 22 points came on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor, 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range and a perfect 4-of-4 effort from the free throw line
- UConn was +9 in turnover margin and out-scored Stonehill 31-13 off turnovers
- The 17 points for Castle came on 5-of-7 shooting and a perfect 7-of-7 effort from the line
- The Huskies finished with 24 assists on 38 made field goals
News and Notes
- Saturday's crowd of 14,606 was the largest for a UConn opener at the XL Center since Nov. 29, 2005 when 16,294 fans saw the Huskies face Army West Point
- UConn eclipsed the 100-point mark for the first time since hanging 114 on LIU on Dec. 10, 2022
- The 20-point effort was Newton's sixth as a Husky
- UConn improved to 2-0 all-time against Stonehill with the win
- All five UConn starters scored in double-figures, a feat not achieved in the 2022-23 season
- Spencer has led UConn in assists in both games this season, averaging 5.5 per game
Up Next
The Huskies are back at the XL Center on Tuesday, Nov. 14 when they welcome Mississippi Valley State to Hartford.
