By PAT EATON-ROBB AP Sports WriterNovember 30, 2021 astatine 11:12 pm
HARTFORD, Conn (AP) — R.J. Cole scored 25 points and No. 17 UConn survived a situation from Maryland-Eastern Shore to triumph 72-63 connected Tuesday night.
Tyler Polley added 14 points for the Huskies (7-1), who jumped 5 spots successful the AP Top 25 aft a third-place showing implicit the vacation play successful the Battle 4 Atlantis.
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UConn was sluggish for overmuch of the nighttime against UMES, which entered arsenic a 33-point underdog, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
The Huskies led 39-31 astatine halftime, but didn’t people for the archetypal 4 minutes of the 2nd fractional and saw their pb chopped to 42-41 connected a 3-pointer by Da’Shawn Phillip.
That was arsenic adjacent arsenic the Hawks (2-5) got.
A tip-in by freshman Jordan Hawkins disconnected a missed escaped propulsion helped UConn during a 14-5 tally that extended their pb to 11 points.
UMES had 1 much run, cutting the pb to 66-62 connected a step-back jumper by Chace Davis, but the Huskies held on.
The Hawks hung with UConn done the archetypal fractional by hitting 12 of their 24 shots from the level and outrebounding the Huskies 14-11.
But UMES led conscionable twice, astatine 11-9 connected a 3-pointer by Zion Styles and 15-14 aft a layup by Donchevell Nugent.
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Tyler Polley’s 3-pointer conscionable earlier the buzzer sent UConn into the locker country with a 39-31 lead.
Phillip and Mike Mensah each had 12 points and Styles added 11 for UMES.
BIG PICTURE
Maryland-Eastern Shore: UMES, which doesn’t person a starter implicit 6-foot-5, was outrebounded conscionable 33-30 by UConn.
UConn: The Huskies played without starting defender Tyrese Martin, who was resting a near wrist that helium sprained successful their triumph implicit Auburn successful The Bahamas. Center Adam Sanogo (eight points) near the crippled successful the 2nd fractional and went to the locker country with a trainer.
UP NEXT
Maryland-Eastern Shore: The Hawks decorativeness a five-game travel with a sojourn to Lehigh connected Saturday.
UConn: The Huskies are backmost connected field Saturday to big Grambling.
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