University of Connecticut
1-0,0-0Big East
Gardner-Webb
0-1,0-0Big South
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gardner-Webb | 24 | 22 | 46 |
| UConn | 43 | 43 | 86 |
11/3/2026 12:55:00โฏAM | Men's Basketball
HARTFORD โย The No. 4 UConn men's basketball team (1-0) opened the 2026-27 regular season with an 86-46 win over Gardner-Webb (0-1) on Monday night in the season opener at a sold-out PeoplesBank Arena.ย Braylon Mullinsย led all scorers with 20 points, one of four Huskies to finish in double-figures in the balanced triumph.ย
The win was UConn head coachย Dan Hurley's 200thย at Connecticut. He became the third coach in program history to reach that milestone.ย
UConn held Gardner-Webb to a dismal 25.5 percent shooting day and connecting at a 51.7 percent clip on the day. In their first games at UConn, sophomore transfersย Nik Khameniaย andย Na'jai Hinesย each tied their career-highs with 14 and 12 points, respectively.ย Hinesย added 12 rebounds to post his fifth career double-double and notched three blocks, whileย Khameniaย stuffed the stat sheet with six rebounds and three assists.ย
Colben Landrewย was the fourth Husky in double-figures with 11 points off the bench, adding five rebounds and three assists.ย Silas Demary Jr.ย was quiet in the scoring column but added eight rebounds, eight assists and three steals to his five points on three shots.ย Jayden Rossย scored seven points and was a team-best +41 in a game-high 29 minutes.ย
How it Happened
The Huskies burst out of the gates with the first eight points of the contest, coming off baskets from four different players. At 7:16 of the first aย Junior Countyย 3-pointer capped an 11-0 run and pushed the lead over 20 for the first time as Connecticut took a 29-8 advantage.ย
UConn would take a 43-24 lead to the half, shooting 48.3 percent and holding Gardner-Webb to a 29.2 percent mark.ย Khameniaย andย Mullinsย led all scorers with nine points apiece in the opening stanza and the Huskies doubled up the Runnin' Bulldogs, 22-11, on the glass.ย
The second half saw more of the same, with UConn ripping off a 14-5 run to start the frame and go up 57-29 at 14:10 after back-to-back transitions baskets fromย Mullinsย thenย Landrew.ย Later in the period another transition bucket fromย Landrewย capped an 11-1 run and gave UConn its largest lead of the day, up 77-38 with 5:40 to play. The Huskies pushed the lead over 40 in the final minute of the eventual 86-46 triumph.ย
Inside The Numbers
- UConn shot 31-of-60 (51.7 percent) from the field and 9-of-29 (31.0 percent) from three while holding GWU to 12-of-47 (25.5) and 6-of-19 (31.6) efforts
- The Huskies were +18 on the glass, out-rebounding the Runnin' Bulldogs 46-28
- Connecticut turned a +7 turnover margin into a 14-2 edge in points off miscues
- UConn finished with a 42-10 edge in paint points and a 21-3 advantage in fast break points
News and Notes
- Monday night was the 200thย win at UConn forย Dan Hurley.ย He joins Hugh Greer (287) and Jim Calhoun (625) as the three coaches in program history to hit the mark
- The Huskies improve to 94-30 all-time in regular season openers and 9-0 in lid lifters underย Hurley
- UConn improves to 3-0 all-time against Gardner-Webb. The previous two meetings came in a five-day span in 2007
- The 20-point effort forย Mullinsย was the fourth of his career and marked the seventh time he has led UConn in scoring
- Hinesย notched his fifth career double-double and became the first Husky with a double-double in their UConn debut sinceย Liam McNeeleyย in the 2024-25 opener
- Monday night marked the official UConn debuts forย Egor Amosov, Junior County, Elmir Dลพafic, Oskar Giltay, Na'jai Hines, Nik Khamenia,ย Colben Landrew, Nils Machowski, Jaye Nash, Jacob Rossย andย Isaiah Shaw
Up Next
The Huskies head to Boston on Friday, Nov. 6 for a national title game rematch against No. 16 Michigan in the TNT Sports Hall of Fame Series Boston presented by Amica.ย
