Kevin Ollie's team won, but it wasn't too pretty. In their opening round matchup against the College of Charleston Cougars in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, Connecticut was able to hold on for an 8 point win, setting up a second round matchup with a member of the Elite 8 last year, the Dayton Flyers
UConn got off to a roaring start in the game, as Kentan Facey made a thunderous dunk for the first points in the game, assited by star guard Ryan Boatright. Boatright had 6 points in the first 2 minutes, and the Huskies were quickly up 10-2. However, College of Charleston, coming out of the Doug Wojcik scandal and with a new head coach (Earl Grant), jumped their way back in the game with their talented backcourt. Canyon Barry had 8 points in the early going, showcasing his sharpshooting abillites. Amida Brimah played well on defense under the basket for UConn, as did Adjehi Baru for COC. After two three-pointers from young Daniel Hamilton in the final 38 seconds, UConn had a 30-21 lead at the half, closer than many thought it would turn out to be.
The Huskies tried to shake Charleston early in the 2nd half, starting with some more impressive plays by the freshman Daniel Hamilton. However, COC's Barry and Baru duo kept the Cougars within striking distance with timely layups. With 13 minutes left, however, Rodney Purvis, the high-profile transfer from North Carolina State, broke out of his shell after being off target all game long, with two consecutive threes in a 27 second span. He was, all-in-all, poor in shooting for this game, but made some impressive plays that showed his abilities to help this team. Although the Cougars would get within 4 with 8 minutes remaining, the constant onslaught by UConn prevailed, as the Huskies held on 65-47.
Credit must be due to COC head coach Earl Grant for keeping his team competitive after the horrifying offseason they suffered with the Doug Wojcik scandal. They have a bright future ahead of them, and should learn a lot from this game.
UConn has a lot of trouble still, even though they are 2-0. Their defense has been shaky so far, as Amida Brimah needs some help in the paint. They are in for a tough matchup tomorrow against Dayton, and we will keep you updated during the game.