Bobby Martinez – Sports Writer
NEW HAVEN — As the bright court lights were illuminating the UConn Huskies logo in the middle of the basketball court, 5,114 people were filling up the stands to watch the UConn men’s basketball team take on Southern Connecticut.
“Heading into the game we wanted to just play our game.,” said forward Stefon Williams, “The goal was to go hard each and every play.”
With the autumn in full effect, this means one thing, basketball season is underway. The Owls took on UConn, who is currently ranked number 18 in the country, in a preseason matchup. UConn attacked first with Shabazz Napier canning a jumping shot over Luke Houston for two points. Houston responded back with a trip to the free throw line after getting fouled by Napier but missed both free throws.
Senior Greg Langston scored the Owls first points with a three pointer from the wing which gave the Owls the lead 3-2. Junior DeAndre Daniels went to the line for two free throws in which he made both giving the Huskies the lead 4-3 with 18:27 left in the first half.
Key free throws hurt the Owls early into the game that helped the Huskies grab a 10-3 lead five minutes into the half. The Owls went 5-11 from the free throw line in the first half alongside 3-11 from three-point territory. Despite the Owls missed free throws, the Owls played exceptionally well which helped them climb back into the game 11 minutes into the first half.
Huskies’ head coach Kevin Ollie called a timeout after Owls guard Michael Mallory drained a jumper reducing the Huskies lead 18-14. Coming out of the timeout the Huskies went on a 14-4 run sparked by Niels Giffey helping the Huskies finish the half leading 44-28.
The Owls finished the first half shooting 27 percent from the field with numerous fouls that caused the Huskies to capitalize from the line. Houston was everywhere throughout the first despite his offensive struggles. Houston managed to force multiple turnovers against the Huskies front court in which sophomore forward Phillip Nolan said is the best in the nation.
“ Like I said before, I believe we have one of the best frontcourts in the nation,” Nolan said. “ Everybody talked down about the rebounding thing and all that, but it’s something we are still improving on.”
The start of the second half was a moment the Owls took advantage. It was a fresh half and players seemed to settle in and adjust to the style of game the Huskies played in the first half. Langston who finished the game with 18 points, scored the Owls first points with a fade away field goal over Giffey, Owls trailed 46-30.
Langston continued his aggressive offense by attacking the basket and managing to head to the free throw line. Langston made one of two from the line before Houston made a trey with 16:50 left in the game cutting the lead 48-34. But the Huskies size was too much for the Owls to manage throughout the second half.
The Huskies scored 27 points in the paint in the second half against the Owls 12. The Owls did outscore the Huskies in the second half with 17 fast break points while the Huskies had 15. Owls Michael Mallory finished the game with 13 points in 21 minutes.
The Huskies went on to win the game 93-65 improving their exhibition record to 46-6 over the past 27 years. The last time these two teams played together was in 1989 with the Huskies blowing out the Owls 100-39 led by former head coach Jim Calhoun.
Despite the loss for the Owls, they managed to hold their ground against an oversized Huskies team that is eyeing their return to tournament play after being suspended last season for breaking NCAA rules. Owls head coach Mike Donnelly said after the game, he is proud his team laid it all out on the court.
“It was a fantastic experience,” Donnelly said. “I was just happy the guys played with relentless energy.”
