University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
East Carolina University
Carlton’s Career Day, Dominant Second Half Lead UConn to 76-52 Rout of ECU
2/3/2019 4:49:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HARTFORD, Conn. – Behind a dominating second half performance, the UConn men's basketball got back in the win column as the team cruised to a 76-52 victory over East Carolina on Sunday at the XL Center. UConn improves to 13-9, 4-5 in the American, while ECU drops to 9-12, 2-7 in the AAC.
Josh Carlton had his way with the Pirates, as the sophomore big man asserted his dominance inside and posted career-highs with 20 points and 16 boards. Junior Christian Vital poured in 11 of his 18 points in the second half and also contributed seven assists and seven rebounds. Sophomore Tyler Polley contributed 13 points, redshirt-freshman Sidney Wilson had a career day with 12 points on 5-for-5 shooting and grad transfer Tarin Smith added 11 points to complete UConn's balanced scoring output.
After combining to shoot 4-for-20 during the first four minutes of the game, UConn and ECU settled in and engaged in back-and-fourth action throughout the remainder of the half. Tied at 19 with 5:37 left, the Huskies went on a 9-2 run to open up a 28-21 lead. The Pirates cut the deficit to three, but UConn scored the last two buckets of the half to take a 32-26 lead into the break.
UConn quickly built a 12-point advantage over the first eight minutes of the second frame. Continuing to dictate the pace of play, the Huskies expanded their lead to 22 with an 8-2 run. UConn outscored ECU by 18-points in the second half en route to its fourth win of conference play.
Game Notes/Husky Highlights…
- UConn had five players in double figures: Carlton (20), Vital (18), Polley (13), Wilson (12) and Smith (11)
- Two players, Carlton and Wilson, posted career days for the Huskies.
- UConn shot 49.1 percent as a team, while limiting ECU to 33.3 percent.
Next Up…
UConn gets back on the road for its next two AAC contests, starting Wednesday, Feb. 6, when it challenges Temple at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia. The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. tipoff and will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
