University of Connecticut Athletics
Price, Wiggins Propel Huskies Past Pepperdine, 88-66
12/20/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Pepperdine, 88-66
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HARTFORD, Conn. (December 20, 2006) – Frontcourt mates Hasheem Thabeet (Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania) and Jeff Adrien (Brookline, Mass.) combined to make all 13 of their shots from the field in helping the University of Connecticut men’s basketball team to an 88-66 victory over Pepperdine Wednesday evening before a crowd of 15,117 at the Hartford Civic Center.
The win improves the No. 11 nationally-ranked Huskies’ record to a perfect 10-0 on the season, while the Waves drop to 3-10 on the year.
Connecticut gradually wore down the Waves in the second half. Leading by just seven at 60-53 with 10:06 to play, UConn scored the next 11 points to take control. Doug Wiggins (East Hartford, Conn.) started the run with a couple of free throws and A.J. Price (Amityville, N.Y.) ended the run with four points, and the run put the Huskies safely ahead, 71-53, with 6:48 remaining.
Pepperdine proved a worthy foe, using some solid long-range shooting to remain close to the taller Huskies throughout the game. Tomas Pranciliauskas, who scored a game-high 22 points, made four first-half three-pointers off of the Waves bench in helping Pepperdine stay within four at the half. Pepperdine connected on eight treys in the opening twenty minutes, in trying to offset the inside presence of Thabeet and Adrien. Thabeet, who scored a career-high 17 points, made all six of his shots in the first half, while Adrien was successful on all five of his attempts in the opening stanza. Thabeet finished seven-for-seven, while Adrien, who ended with 14 points, was six-of-six from the field.
The Huskies were led in the scoring column by Price, who scored 17 points and had four assists, despite seven turnovers. Wiggins scored 16 points for UConn, his sixth-straight solid effort off of the Husky bench. Freshman power forward Stanley Robinson (Birmingham, Ala.) scored eight points and tied his career-high with a game-best nine rebounds.
Freshman Jerome Dyson fouled out with nine points, halting his streak of consecutive double-digit scoring at six. Connecticut shot at least 50 percent for the eighth time in 10 games this year, while the Waves became the first Husky opponent to shoot better than 40 percent by making 23 of 57 shots.
Kingsley Costain supported Pranciliauskas with 14 points, while Chase Griffin finished with 12 points.
The Huskies will be off until playing host to Coppin State on Wednesday, Dec. 27 at the Hartford Civic Center. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. and the game will not be televised.
POSTGAME QUOTES
UConn Head Coach Jim Calhoun
No one has driven us that hard into the paint, that many times, lifted us, kicked out, and got that many good shots. That’s all just repetition, hard work and him putting together a team with eight scholarship players and one walk on. So I would give them a great deal of congratulations.
They’re tough to handle. We have not handled anything like that since Villanova, probably, last year, as far as getting four guys out on the floor….I think it took us back a little bit. I think we saw we had a 12 or 14 point lead and we assumed it was going to go just like everything else, and at halftime we’re sitting on a four-point lead, and they’re feeling really good, which we contributed to.
I thought we started to play defense, still struggled offensively because we were in a game that we had to compete, and we haven’t had to do that for a while.
I think it was a learning experience. I give them all the credit in the world. They were hard to play.
We’re trying to get different match-ups.
I thought Stanley Robinson had a terrific, terrific game, even better than the numbers would show.
Dougie Wiggins’ plays, end to end, which we should have done a lot more of, were great. When Craig and A.J. were playing just OK, he made some end to end drives…the way we wanted to break the press was what Dougie did.
We got tested. We took a deep breath, took a little hit, came back and got the thing up to 20.
I consider that a good win. As he gets his players, I’m not sure I would want to see him. If we’re going out to Hawaii or something, it’s a beautiful place, but I may not stop in that gym. That’s hard to handle for anybody.
UConn Freshman Stanley Robinson
On being tested by Pepperdine:
It was good. We got a taste of our own medicine. It was a great test. When we see Big East teams playing the same way, I’m quite sure we’re going to be giving the same effort.
Coach gave me a lot more minutes than he usually does. He kept switching rotations with the post play and with the guard play also. He gave us all a chance to penetrate.
On getting into the flow
I’m not going to say I was nervous before. I just needed some time to adjust to the team and know the team chemistry on the court as well. Once I get the chemistry on the court everything will be great.
UConn Sophomore Jeff Adrien
On Pepperdine
This may have been one of the most frustrating teams I’ve played in college. In the first half they were really in the game. No matter how high we increased the lead, they were still in the game. We expected that.
When I was guarding number 4(Pranciliauskas), I felt like I was guarding him. I’d put my hand up and he was making the shot. There’s nothing I really could do. He’s a great shooter.
On second half defense
We just picked it up on defense. I mean we locked it down and held them to fewer three pointers in the second half.
UConn Sophomore AJ Price
They were great outside shooters. They spread the floor really wide and made everyone play man-to-man.
On the difference between the 1st half and 2nd half
We understood that we had to play them much tougher in the second half or nothing would change. The game would’ve continued the same if we didn’t change it. So, we had to play better defense as a unit. I think we did that….we stepped the tempo up and the pressure and get this game where we wanted to go.
On limiting teams to 40% shooting
It says we have great defense on the perimeter…and it showed that that’s going to be the catalyst of this team. It’s going to carry us.
UConn Freshman Hasheem Thabeet
On shooting 7-for-7
It’s a part of improvement. I’m going to keep working on my offense until I get there, so this is quite an accomplishment for me.
UConn Freshman Doug Wiggins
They played organized chaos. Coach said their won’t be another team like them…It was a tough game. We haven’t faced a team like this all year.
On being 10-0
That was our goal from the beginning to get all these wins, game by game, and get ready for the Big East.
On coming on so strong in the 2nd half
The coaches were really helping me. They were telling me ‘you have to me more aggressive on offense.’ I took that into consideration and then I do what I do.
On playing more of a role lately
From the beginning of the season and not playing so much, I thought it was going to be a tough year. So for me to start playing more earlier in the season, and me to be doing what I’m doing, I’m happy right now.
On playing in his home area
It’s fun. It’s a good experience. I know I’ve got a lot of love coming from the stands.
Pepperdine Head Coach Vance Walberg
The one thing I knew we couldn’t stop was their transition game. They’re athletic. We’re not the most athletic group of players. We got big hearts, but we’re not very athletic. And they did just go right by us whenever they wanted to. They’ve got a heck of a team, there’s no doubt about it.
A lot of people have talked about the style that we play. And believe me, gang, in about three years you’re going to see it. Right now, we’re very small, we’re not the quickest, and we’re not the toughest. It’s really hard. We’re doing a lot on heart right now. They’re learning a whole different style. When we get the guys that can do the things I want them to do, you’re going to see a little bit of a different team to where we can kind of hurt people at certain times. Right now, it’s bits and pieces put together.
All I can expect from these guys is to bust their tails the best that they can.
The only chance I thought we had tonight coming into this game was to try to make UConn shoot about 25 threes, and I wanted get about 40 threes up. We’re not the best inside. We’re not very big, we’re not very strong and, when we do get it, it’s hard for us to finish.
We like to spread people out, attack, and then if they suck in, we will take the three. That’s about our best weapon.
