University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Wichita State University
UConn Dominates in 80-60 Triumph over Wichita State
1/26/2019 9:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball
STORRS, Conn. – Feeding off the energy provided by the ruckus crowd, the UConn men's basketball team used a balanced attack en route to an 80-60 victory over the Wichita State Shockers Saturday night at a sold out Gampel Pavilion. The Huskies improve to 12-8 (3-4 AAC) while Wichita State drops to 8-11 (1-6 AAC).
Junior guard Christian Vital steadied UConn with 21 points while backcourt mate Jalen Adams ended the night with 19 points and a team-high 12 rebounds. Sophomores Tyler Polley and Josh Carlton led the charge inside for the Huskies as the two combined for 23 points and 10 boards.
UConn jumped out to an early 14-4 lead behind a tenacious defense that held Wichita State to one made field goal through the first seven minutes of play. Leading 25-12, the Huskies ballooned their lead to 18 points, 30-12, following back-to-back buckets from Adams. Wichita State drew within 40-28 after an Erik Stevenson layup that appeared to swing the momentum into the Shocker's favor, but Christian Vital buried a deep triple just before the buzzer which electrified the crowd, snatched the momentum right back and gave the Huskies a 15 point lead at the break.
Josh Carlton completed a three-point play, Adams buried a triple and on the next trip down, found Vital inside for the reverse as UConn saw its lead grow to 21 points, 54-33, less than four minutes into the second half. Wichita State wouldn't go quietly, using a 13-4 run to close the gap to 12, but that was as close as the road team would get. Jalen Adams sunk two mid-range buckets and then Tarin Smith, Tyler Polley and Christian Vital each knocked down a trey as the Huskies cruised to the twenty-point triumph.
Game Notes/Husky Highlights…
- Four UConn players ended the game in double figures – Vital (21), J. Adams (19), Polley (12) and Carlton (11).
- Jalen Adams led the team on the glass with 12 rebounds, earning the senior guard his first double-double of the season.
- Redshirt sophomore Mamadou Diarra made his season debut for the Huskies, tallying two points on a layup after slipping the screen.
Next Up…
UConn will travel to Orlando, Fla., to complete its season series against UCF, taking on the Knights on Thursday, Jan. 31, at the CFE Arena. The game is scheduled for a 9 p.m. tipoff and will be televised on ESPNU.
