HARTFORD – Five scored in double-figures for the No. 3 UConn men's basketball team (2-0) and the Huskies used a huge second half to knock off New Hampshire (1-2), 92-53, on Saturday night in front of a sold-out crowd of 15,684 at the XL Center. Alex Karaban led all scorers with 17 points, Jayden Ross scored a career-high 14 and Liam McNeeley opened his freshman season with his second-straight double-double.
Karaban added five rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots to his team-leading 17 points, going 4-of-8 from the field and 3-of-6 from distance in another sterling all-around performance. McNeeley scored 10 and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds, becoming the first UConn freshman in nearly 50 years to open his career with back-to-back double-doubles. The career-high 14 for Ross more than quadrupled his previous career-best and came on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor and a 2-for-5 day from downtown.
The Huskies overcame a slow shooting start to take a double-digit lead into the break, then took off in the second to blow the game open. UConn shot a blistering 63.6 percent and scored 57 points in the second frame. Solo Ball and Tarris Reed Jr. also scored in double-figures for UConn with 14 and 11 points, respectively. Antony McComb III scored 17 and Sami Pissis added 15 to lead New Hampshire.
How it Happened
New Hampshire came out firing, jumping out to an early 9-4 lead. Cold shooting plagued both sides for the first half of the opening stanza, with Connecticut finally taking its first lead at 12-11 with a contested lay-in from Ball at the 10:06 mark.
After Karaban drilled UConn's first 3-pointer, a run-out led to a Ross lay-in and forced a UNH timeout with the score 17-13 and 8:38 to play in the first. The Huskies took their first double-digit lead in the dying moments of the opening frame with a driving lay-up from McNeeley to take a 35-24 lead after 20.
A two-handed slam from Reed Jr. at the 15:05 mark of the second half gave UConn its largest lead, putting the Huskies up 49-33. Back-to-back slams from Jaylin Stewart pushed the lead over 20 at 61-38 and forced a UNH timeout with 9:51 left in the frame.
From there it was all Huskies, as UConn pushed its lead over 30 in the eventual 92-53 victory. All 12 Huskies got into the scoring column in the triumph, with Isaiah Abraham, Ahmad Nowell and Youssouf Singare all putting up late buckets.
Inside The Numbers
- UConn shot 50.8 percent from the floor and 32.1 percent from distance – holding New Hampshire to 35.4 percent and 23.1 percent marks
- The Huskies finished with a 42-26 edge on the glass, led by McNeeley's 11 caroms and eight from Reed Jr.
- Connecticut turned a 15-5 edge in offensive rebounds into a 20-4 edge in second chance points
- Bench scoring was 40-5 in favor of the Huskies
- UConn recorded 20 assists on 32 field goals – led by four apiece from Ball and Karaban
- UConn finished with a 46-22 edge in points in the paint
News and Notes
- UConn improves to 96-25 all-time against New Hampshire
- Connecticut has now won 29-straight home games against non-conference foes and 22-straight home games overall
- The Huskies started 5-18 (27.7 percent) from the floor and 0-9 from 3-point range – from then on they shot 27-45 (60.0 percent) and 9-19 (47.3 percent)
- McNeeley has now opened his career with back-to-back double-doubles
- He is the first UConn player to open a season with two double-doubles since Jeff Adrien in 2006
- McNeeley is the first Husky freshman to double up in his first two career games since Corny Thompson in 1978
- He becomes the first freshman on a BIG EAST team to turn the feat since Louisville's Chane Benahan in 2011
- Ross' career-high 14 points shattered his previous career-best of three – he was also a team-best +34 in 23 minutes
- Karaban finished with four blocks a game after notching his career-high of seven – his 11 blocks over a two-game span top his previous career-best of five
- For comparison, Karaban's former roommate and current Trail Blazer Donovan Clingan never blocked more than nine in a two-game span
- Aidan Mahaney recorded his first official points at UConn with a first half free throw – with nine points on Saturday he now sits at 967 on his career
Up Next
The Huskies head back to Hartford next week, taking on Le Moyne at the XL Center on Wednesday, Nov. 13 for a 7 p.m. tip.
Players Mentioned
- C
- 7' 2"
- Sophomore
- F
- 6' 8"
- Redshirt Sophomore
- G
- 6' 3"
- Freshman
- F
- 6' 7"
- Freshman
- F
- 6' 7"
- Freshman
- C
- 6' 10"
- Freshman
- G
- 6' 0"
- Freshman
- F
- 6' 7"
- Freshman
- C
- 6' 10"
- Junior
- G
- 6' 3"
- Junior
- F
- 6' 7"
- Freshman
Players Mentioned
- 7' 2"
- Sophomore
- C
- 6' 8"
- Redshirt Sophomore
- F
- 6' 3"
- Freshman
- G
- 6' 7"
- Freshman
- F
- 6' 7"
- Freshman
- F
- 6' 10"
- Freshman
- C
- 6' 0"
- Freshman
- G
- 6' 7"
- Freshman
- F
- 6' 10"
- Junior
- C
- 6' 3"
- Junior
- G
- 6' 7"
- Freshman
- F
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