Huskies Fend Off Pesky Bobcats, Roll To 11-0
by Zach Smart
HARTFORD, Conn. – For the first 17 minutes of play, the two teams were virtually lost in identity. The Connecticut Huskies looked nothing like the No. 2 ranked program in the country, the team which shined at the Maui invitational and the school which, over the past decade, has evolved into a perennial powerhouse.
The visiting Quinnipiac Bobcats, on the other hand, looked nothing like the school which moved up to the Division I ranks just eight years ago, the school that opposing team’s fans still have difficulty pronouncing correctly.
However, that would all change after the Huskies scored 12 of the last 13 points of the first half. UConn dominated the rest of the way, shooting 68.3 percent in the second half. The state’s longest existing rivalry was renewed, with the Huskies cruising to a 111-75 victory at the Hartford Civic Center Dec. 30.
UConn improved to 11-0, marking the first time in school history that the Huskies have entered January with such a record. They are one of the nation’s seven top-tier teams with an unblemished record.
It’s just a couple days before the re-arrival of the suspended Marcus Williams, who is arguably the most prolific passer in college basketball. The Huskies looked fine without their star point guard last night. Craig Austrie, who has taken over as the starting point guard, dished out a career-high 14 assists, setting a freshman record.
Williams will suit up when the Huskies begin Big East action at Marquette on January 3. Williams was suspended for taking part in the theft of multiple laptops on campus.
Hilton Armstrong stepped up big in the absence of Rudy Gay, who was out with an ankle injury he suffered in practice early in the week. Armstrong recorded his second straight double-double with a career and game-high 26 points and 10 rebounds. The Husky big man shot 11-of-14 from the field, with his mid-range game looking better than ever. He also threw down a pair of earth-shattering dunks, one which nearly blew the roof off of the arena in the first half.
Quinnipiac’s John Winchester had a career night, scoring 25 points on 7 of 14 shooting, 5 of 10 from three-point territory.
It was Winchester and forward Chris Wehye (16 points, 16 boards) that gave the Huskies trouble in the first half, as the duo netted several big three-pointers to build a 22-16 advantage with 13:06 remaining. 5-foot-9 guard Job Casimir and the Bobcats had no problem breaking the Huskies press in the first half, and the Bobcats battled valiantly until Rashad Anderson’s trifecta put UConn up 34-32. This was followed by a Josh Boone bucket, and the Huskies closed out the half with a strong run.
The first half featured eight lead changes and four ties. After failing to capitalize on second-chance opportunities and playing sluggishly at times, the Huskies turned it on in the second half.
The ‘Cats relied too heavily on outside shooting. They lived behind three-point land for much of the game, with Winchester, Wehye, Van Crafton (9 points), and Craig Benson all hoisting up threes. They were sorely undersized down low, going up against with 6-foot-10 Josh Boone and 6-foot-11 Armstrong. Having their tallest player, 6-foot-8 inch Karl Anderson, caught in foul trouble, didn’t help either.
Rashad Anderson, who averaged 23.5 points in the previous victories over Morehead State and Stony Brook, continued his hot shooting. The senior poured in 20 points in 28 minutes, shooting .500 (7 for 14) from the field. Marcus Johnson also added 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting.
“For 17 minutes, we played probably the best basketball that we’ve played since I’ve been here,” said Quinnipiac had coach Joe DeSantis to WQUN after the game. “They’re just too good. They made a run, we couldn’t stop them. I thought there was a big stretch the last three minutes of the first half, and obviously a good portion of the second half. When you play against a team that’s bigger, stronger, quicker, the fatigue kills you.”
Game Notes
One of the game’s intriguing matchups was between freshman point guards Craig Austrie and Job Casimir, who are both natives of Stamford, Conn. and good friends. Last year, Austrie (Trinity Catholic High School) and Casimir (Norwalk High) were two of the most exciting point guards in Connecticut high school basketball. Now starters on their respective college teams, they were reunited for the first time in quite awhile on the court.
“That’s my man,” said Austrie in reference to Casimir, who scored nine points and handed out six dimes. “We used to have some good battles back in high school, and it was good to see him on the court. But on the court, you know, it’s a battle.”
The aforementioned Winchester also hails from Stamford and mentored Austrie at times in his early high school days.
