R.J. Cole led all scorers with 25 points to help No. 17 UConn fend off nonconference foe Maryland-Eastern Shore 72-63 on Tuesday night in Hartford, Conn.
Tyler Polley scored 14 off the bench for UConn (7-1), which has won back-to-back games since taking its first loss of the season, a 64-60 setback against Michigan State at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament on Thursday.
Isaiah Whaley added eight points, seven rebounds and five blocked shots while Huskies leading scorer Adama Sanogo finished with eight points on 3-of-8 shooting. UConn shot 43.6 percent (24 of 55) from the field.
Da’Shawn Phillip and Mike Mensah finished with 12 points apiece and Zion Styles chipped in 11 to lead Maryland-Eastern Shore (2-5), which took its third consecutive defeat.
No other player scored in double figures for the Hawks, who lost despite shooting 47.1 percent (24 of 51) from the floor.
Polley’s 3-pointer with eight seconds remaining in the half gave the Huskies their biggest lead as UConn took a 39-31 edge into halftime.
Maryland-Eastern Shore opened the second half with a 10-3 push to pull within 42-41 on Phillip’s 3-pointer with 16:35 remaining. Styles provided a highlight-reel dunk for the Hawks shortly after to pull the visitors within 44-43.
The Huskies regrouped and opened a double-digit lead at 62-51 with 8:10 to play after a pair of free throws by Cole.
The Hawks were within 66-62 with under three minutes left before UConn scored six straight at the foul line to put the game out of reach.
Donchevell Nugent’s jumper at 12:14 of the opening period put Maryland-Eastern Shore ahead 15-14. Cole answered with a layup 14 seconds later to restore the Huskies’ lead for good.
UConn is back in action on Saturday when it hosts nonconference opponent Grambling. Maryland-Eastern Shore visits Lehigh on Saturday.
–Field Level Media
