University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Manhattan College
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Huskies Ride Hot Second Half to 61-46 Victory
12/15/2018 11:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball
STORRS, Conn. – After overcoming an unpleasant start to the evening, the UConn men's basketball team used a strong second half performance to come away with a 61-46 win over the Manhattan Jaspers (2-8) Saturday night at Gampel Pavilion.
Junior Christian Vital led three Huskies (8-3) in double figures with 13 points, while also grabbing a team-high 8 rebounds. Sophomores Alterique Gilbert and Josh Carlton finished with 12 and 11 points, respectively. The UConn defense limited Manhattan to 35 percent shooting from the field.
Half number one was unattractive, to say the least – both teams combined for 20 turnovers, 19 fouls and 27 percent shooting from the floor. The Jaspers held a three-point lead (8-5) at the under-12 media timeout, but the Huskies responded with a run of their own to take regain a 15-11 advantage. Manhattan evened up the contest at 15, but UConn used a 10-0 run of its own, turned the defensive intensity up and held the visitors without a field goal for the final 5:42 of the first half to head into the break with a 25-15 lead.
The Huskies came out of the locker room more energetic and efficient, as they started second half 6-of-6 from the field to open up a 37-22 lead. Manhattan attempted to cut into the deficit, using an 8-2 run to draw within 12, 47-35. UConn responded with a quick 6-0 run of its own to push the lead back to 16 points and never looked back, coasting to a double-digit victory.
Game Notes/Husky Highlights…
- UConn beat Manhattan in the hustle stat column, ending the night with more points in the paint (34-22), points off turnovers (21-15), second chance points (8-5) and fast break points (21-9).
- The Huskies swatted away a season high nine shots
Next Up…
UConn hosts Drexel on Tuesday night in a 7 p.m. tilt at the XL Center. The contest will be broadcast on SNY/ESPN3.
