It was another big week in UConn sports. A former men’s basketball star appeared in his first NBA All-Star game and competed in the 3-point shooting contest, the women’s basketball team kept their lengthy streak going, and the men’s basketball team needed every last second to grab a win on the road. All that and more on this week’s edition of Quick Hits.
Tulane gives women’s basketball team a scare
Connecticut guard Gabby Williams (15) jumps over Tulane guard Kolby Morgan, center, as Tulane guard Leslie Vorpahl, right, gets the ball during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in New Orleans, Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017. (AP Photo/Sophia Germer)
Going for win No. 101 in a row, the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team traveled down to New Orleans, Louisiana to take on the Tulane Green Wave, ranked sixth in the American Athletic Conference. The Huskies, playing without junior guard Kia Nurse, were supposed to have a fairly easy time in the Big Easy. However, it was quite the opposite as the Green Wave gave UConn its most tightly contested game in the entirety of the win streak, trailing by only a point with less than two minutes remaining. The Huskies would escape New Orleans with the win, but not without a few teeth pulled. You can read the recap here.
Adams’ late lay-up gives Huskies a win in Philly
Connecticut’s Jalen Adams watches Temple’s Shizz Alston Jr. take a shot in the last seconds of an NCAA college basketball game in Philadelphia on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2017. UConn won, 64-63. (Elizabeth Robertson/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
The men’s basketball team had struggles of their own this weekend. Playing on the road at Temple on Sunday afternoon, UConn trailed for almost the entire second half fighting to stay within comeback range of the Owls. Star sophomore point guard Jalen Adams and senior shooting guard Rodney Purvis led the Huskies back into the game with stellar performance. Purvis scored 10 points in the last 8:05 minutes of the game, and ultimately tied the game at 60, before Adams would drive past the Owls’ defense and hit the game-winning lay-up with just 2.8 seconds remaining, giving UConn its fourth-straight win.
Baseball team opens season with a series win in Florida
The UConn men’s baseball team began their season with an Opening Day win for the first time in five years in a series against the UMass-Lowell River Hawks down in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The Huskies got huge wins from Tim Cate, Will Montgomerie and freshman Mason Feole on the mound on Friday and Saturday. Unfortunately, UConn couldn’t complete the sweep, losing the fourth game 11-8 despite fighting hard to comeback after allowing several runs early. Read the series recap here.
UConn legend Kemba Walker participates in NBA All-Star Festivities
Eastern Conference guard Kemba Walker of the Charlotte Hornets (15) reacts as Western Conference guard Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder (0) hangs from the rim on an attempted slam dunk during the first half of the NBA All-Star basketball game in New Orleans, Sunday, Feb. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, Pool)
UConn men’s basketball legend Kemba Walker competed in his first NBA All-Star game on Sunday, while also participating in the three-point contest on Saturday night. Walker put up a respectable showing in the 3-point contest, earning 19 points in the first round to advance to the three-person championship round against Eric Gordon and Kyrie Irving. Walker couldn’t keep up with Gordon and Irving in the finals, however, scoring 17 points in the final round while the others put up 20 points. Gordon ultimately won the contest after putting up 21 points in a tie-breaker round with Irving.
On Sunday night, Walker played 20 minutes for the Eastern Conference All-Stars and scored seven points on 3-6 shooting, including 1-4 from the 3-point line. Walker also tallied six assists, three rebounds and a steal on the night in a losing effort as the Western Conference All-Stars won by a score of 192-182. Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans (West) scored an All-Star game record 52 points on the night, earning himself the All-Star game MVP award.
Chris Hanna is a staff writer for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at christopher.hanna@uconn.edu. He tweets @realchrishanna.
