UConn officially opened their new season on Friday night with a final sparkling reminder of their last one. Before their 2014-2015 debut against Bryant, the returning members of UConn’s 2013-2014 National Championship team received their commemorative rings. It was a nice moment, replete with appearances from the famous mom duo of Tanesha Boatright and Carmen Velasquez (Shabazz Napier’s mother). Once the ball tipped, however, it became obvious that the incredible achievements of last year are very much in the past.
The Huskies started strong enough. They jumped out to an early 19-8 lead, powered by inside scoring and stifling defense. It was then that their warts began to show. UConn missed their next nine shots, as Bryant — in only their third season as a Division I team — bested the Huskies on both ends of the floor en route to a 18-0 run. By intermission, Bryant held an eight point lead.
“Where we first saw the zone, it knocked us off track a little bit,” said senior guard Ryan Boatright. “And having a young team, like we have, it took a little while to figure it out.”
UConn started two freshmen, two sophomores and Boatright against Bryant. Sophomore Terrence Samuel also played 34 minutes off the bench. While the youngsters showed expected growing pains in the first half, they rallied around Boatright — the veteran, and their captain — for the second.
Boatright scored 16 of his 24 points in the second half, and provided a defensive spark that proved contagious.
The Huskies pressured Bryant’s shooters, negating their strong advantage from the perimeter. After a 42% effort from three-point range in the first half, the Bulldogs hit just 2-9 in the second. When the dared venture into the paint, center Amida Brimah made them regret it.
“The big fella was an intimidating presence for our guys,” said Bryant head coach Tim O’Shea. “We just don’t see [that kind of length]. It’s why he’s probably going to be a first round pick at some point.”
Brimah finished with five blocks, paired with four steals from Boatright — many coming at crucial times when UConn needed to seize momentum.
“Our defense really took over the game in the second half,” said Kevin Ollie.
All told, the Huskies walked away with a 66-53 victory and a few hard learned lessons. Ollie repeated his oft-spoken mantra after game, “it’s going to be a process and we’re going to keep falling in love with it.”
Part of that process will involve keeping their big men out of foul trouble. Brimah, Phil Nolan, Kentan Facey and Daniel Hamilton were all forced to the bench with two fouls each in the first half.
Another point for improvement will be outside shooting. UConn was just 2-11 from long range in the first half — lending a hand in Bryant’s increasing lead. They improved to hit 4-8 in the second half, lead by Boatright and Sam Cassell, Jr., but Cassell and Hamilton will need to knock down threes more consistently if UConn is to count on outside shooting as an offensive weapon.
Notes:
- Kentan Facey was very impressive on the glass. He grabbed a team high 11 rebounds in only 24 minutes of action. It’s clear that he provides an element that was missing from last year’s team, a legitimate rebounding option at the power forward spot. Said Ollie, “[Facey’s] energy was great. He went after every rebound. Kentan’s a ball hunter. Wherever the ball is, he’s going to be hunting it.”
- Ollie received a technical foul in the second half. After the game, Boatright disclosed that Ollie was lobbying on his behalf to receive more hand-checking calls. “He had my back and he said something,” said Boatright.
- Phil Nolan had a forgettable evening. Hampered by early fouls, and Facey’s stellar play, Nolan was limited to seven minutes in which he neither scored nor secured a rebound.
- Terrence Samuel, who had a nice game in his own right, on receiving his national championship ring before the game, “I had flashbacks. I thought about all the guys who aren’t here, and then I remembered what it takes to get there. I want to get back there again.”
Up Next:
- UConn heads to Puerto Rico where they will face College of Charleston in the first round of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off tournament on Thursday (11/20). Tip will be at 12:30pm (take a long lunch). The game can be seen on ESPNU.
The #UConn men will get their championship rings in a pre-game ceremony tonight pic.twitter.com/uwiOm1uG3O
— Kerith Burke (@KerithBurke) November 14, 2014
