UConn Tops 'Neers In Cold Front
January 7, 2009
by Zach Smart
The UConn Huskies showed resolves, resilience, and fight en route to scoring a much-needed victory over West Virginia in Morgantown last night. Though the no.5 Huskies are still seeking that signature victory following a lackluster loss to Georgetown last week, the Mountaineers are no slouch.
They stamped BlOhio State (if B.J. Mullens is actually a consensus top-5 NBA draft selection this very easily may be one of the worst draft classes of all time) with a 30-point victory before Big East play, handing the Suckeyes their first loss of the season.
The lack of a formidable frontline certainly hampered the Mountaineers. It opened the seas for 7-foot-3 gargantuan Center Hasheem Thabeet and 6-foot-7 senior strongman Jeff Adrien.
The two 2XL-sized bigs combined for 30 points on 12-of-20 shooting. Adrien scored a game-high 17 points and was one of the few players on the floor that shot the ball at an efficient clip.
Read More...Click Below!
It was the jumping jack antics of the freakish Stanley "Sticks" Robinson, however, that lifted UConn to the victory. Robinson's ability to sky for rebounds and outwork other players through shear, otherworldly athleticism helped the Huskies dominate the interior and pound the glass all night long.
Robinson, the previously exiled Husky, was employed at Prime Materials in Willimantic for much of the first semester. Sticks showed how the hard labor and blue-collar format rubbed off on him.
He showed up with his hardhat and lunch pail and snared a game-high 15 boards. The Huskies out-boarded the Mountaineers by a whopping 52-33 margin, en route to no.5 UConn's 61-55 gut-it-out victory.
Both teams suffered from a case of backcourt frost bite.
The trio of Jerome Dyson, A.J. Price, and Kemba Walker shot a combined 5-for-24, albeit an array of offensive boards and stickbacks bailed out the super-athletic Huskies. The Huskies shot 28 percent from the field in the first half, their worst shooting percentage in any half this season by miles and kilometers.
The Mountaineers were nearly as bad, shooting a measly, meager 9-for-26 (25 percent) in the second half.
Typically a team that can tantalize and torment on the perimeter, the Mountaineers shot an arctic 6-for-26 from behind the arc, and Bobby Huggins had no idea for it.
Still, with the snipers shooting blanks and building a new arena with all the bricks they stacked, UConn had a palpable advantage with augmented manpower.
In a hotly contested battle of this magnitude, before a partisan home crowd expecting them to defend the castle, the Mountaineers can't expect a win if they don't split the nylon the way they are accustomed to doing.
Shooting the rock at a 30.3 percent clip, WVU suffered its worst shooting performance from the floor. The loss dipped WVU's record to 11-3. They are now 1-1 in Big East play.
With the win, the bad taste of Georgetown dominance is somewhat washed from UConn's mammoth mouth. While there are no lingering effects of that hammering home serving, the Huskies (13-1, 2-1 Big East) are still searching for that resume win as the Big East slate continues.
A road swing that features stops in Cincinnati and St. John’s, followed by a game at Seton Hall (who’s fell off the radar following blowout losses, and in case you didn’t see Scottie Reynolds lit them up for 40 last night) before a Jan. 21 game vs. Villanova.
That showdown at the XL Center should be a real litmus test for the Huskies.
Oh, and the Buckeyes are still weaker than Chinese tea (in hoops, that is).
by Zach Smart
The UConn Huskies showed resolves, resilience, and fight en route to scoring a much-needed victory over West Virginia in Morgantown last night. Though the no.5 Huskies are still seeking that signature victory following a lackluster loss to Georgetown last week, the Mountaineers are no slouch.
They stamped BlOhio State (if B.J. Mullens is actually a consensus top-5 NBA draft selection this very easily may be one of the worst draft classes of all time) with a 30-point victory before Big East play, handing the Suckeyes their first loss of the season.
The lack of a formidable frontline certainly hampered the Mountaineers. It opened the seas for 7-foot-3 gargantuan Center Hasheem Thabeet and 6-foot-7 senior strongman Jeff Adrien.
The two 2XL-sized bigs combined for 30 points on 12-of-20 shooting. Adrien scored a game-high 17 points and was one of the few players on the floor that shot the ball at an efficient clip.
Read More...Click Below!
It was the jumping jack antics of the freakish Stanley "Sticks" Robinson, however, that lifted UConn to the victory. Robinson's ability to sky for rebounds and outwork other players through shear, otherworldly athleticism helped the Huskies dominate the interior and pound the glass all night long.
Robinson, the previously exiled Husky, was employed at Prime Materials in Willimantic for much of the first semester. Sticks showed how the hard labor and blue-collar format rubbed off on him.
He showed up with his hardhat and lunch pail and snared a game-high 15 boards. The Huskies out-boarded the Mountaineers by a whopping 52-33 margin, en route to no.5 UConn's 61-55 gut-it-out victory.
Both teams suffered from a case of backcourt frost bite.
The trio of Jerome Dyson, A.J. Price, and Kemba Walker shot a combined 5-for-24, albeit an array of offensive boards and stickbacks bailed out the super-athletic Huskies. The Huskies shot 28 percent from the field in the first half, their worst shooting percentage in any half this season by miles and kilometers.
The Mountaineers were nearly as bad, shooting a measly, meager 9-for-26 (25 percent) in the second half.
Typically a team that can tantalize and torment on the perimeter, the Mountaineers shot an arctic 6-for-26 from behind the arc, and Bobby Huggins had no idea for it.
Still, with the snipers shooting blanks and building a new arena with all the bricks they stacked, UConn had a palpable advantage with augmented manpower.
In a hotly contested battle of this magnitude, before a partisan home crowd expecting them to defend the castle, the Mountaineers can't expect a win if they don't split the nylon the way they are accustomed to doing.
Shooting the rock at a 30.3 percent clip, WVU suffered its worst shooting performance from the floor. The loss dipped WVU's record to 11-3. They are now 1-1 in Big East play.
With the win, the bad taste of Georgetown dominance is somewhat washed from UConn's mammoth mouth. While there are no lingering effects of that hammering home serving, the Huskies (13-1, 2-1 Big East) are still searching for that resume win as the Big East slate continues.
A road swing that features stops in Cincinnati and St. John’s, followed by a game at Seton Hall (who’s fell off the radar following blowout losses, and in case you didn’t see Scottie Reynolds lit them up for 40 last night) before a Jan. 21 game vs. Villanova.
That showdown at the XL Center should be a real litmus test for the Huskies.
Oh, and the Buckeyes are still weaker than Chinese tea (in hoops, that is).
Labels: Connecticut news
posted by NBE Blogger @ 9:49 PM
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