Alex Karaban scored 17 points and had five rebounds and four blocked shots to lead No. 3 UConn to a 92-53 victory over New Hampshire on Saturday night in Hartford, Conn.
Solo Ball added 14 points for UConn, which outscored New Hampshire 57-29 in the second half. UConn (2-0) got 11 points and eight rebounds from Tarris Reed, and 10 points and 11 rebounds from Liam McNeeley.
Guard/forward Jayden Ross didn’t play in UConn’s opener against Sacred Heart, but scored 14 points in 22 minutes against New Hampshire.
Anthony McComb III led New Hampshire (1-2) with 17 points. Sami Pissis added 15 points, but was 1-of-7 from 3-point territory. Trey Woodyard tossed in 11 for the Wildcats, who shot 35.4 percent from the field (17 of 48).
Neither team shot the ball well in the first half. New Hampshire shot 30.8 percent from the field, including 1 of 9 from 3-point range. UConn shot 36.7 percent from the field and was 2 of 13 from behind the arc.
The Wildcats led 11-8 with 15:39 remaining in the first half but failed to make a field goal over the next 8:16. UConn had a 24-16 lead with 5:17 left in the half and held a 35-24 halftime lead. A McNeeley layup with 11 seconds to play in the half capped a 6-0 run and ended the scoring in the first 20 minutes.
New Hampshire trailed 43-33 with 16:44 to play, but UConn used a 6-0 spurt to take a 16-point lead. The Huskies had their first 20-point lead after a McNeeley free throw with 11:43 remaining, and had a 73-43 advantage when Solo Ball made a free throw to complete a three-point play with 7:31 left.
UConn’s lead peaked at 39 points when the Huskies made it 92-53 with 51 seconds to play.
–Field Level Media
