Huskies Best Black Bears

Senior guard Christian Vital drives the lane vs. Maine. Vital had six points,
five assists and four steals in UConn's 64-24 victory over the Black Bears
 the XL Center on Sunday.

HARTFORD—A momentum-swinging run to begin the second half helped lead the UConn men's basketball team to a 64-40 win over the Maine Black Bears before 7,129 fans at the XL Center on Sunday.

Four Huskies finished in double figures, led by freshman James Bouknight who poured in 15 points and five rebounds off the bench. Alterique Gilbert scored 13 points to go along with three assists and two rebounds, Tyler Polley posted 12 points, and Brendan Adams added 11 points off the bench. Andrew Fleming (16 points) was the lone Black Bear to score in double digits.

The Huskies ran off to a fast start, thanks to six points from Gilbert and five from Polley to open up an 11-2 advantage just three minutes into the game. But the Black Bears chipped their way back into the contest and drew within a point, 13-12, after a jumper in the paint by Stephane Ingo at the 12:59 mark. Five more points from Gilbert and a Bouknight layup staked UConn to an eight-point advantage—and gave the Huskies a little breathing room.

The teams essentially traded baskets for the remainder of the first half, and the Huskies took a 31-24 lead into the locker room at intermission.

UConn broke the game open with a 17-2 UConn run early in the second half to give the Huskies a 20-point lead, 52-32. The surge started with a Polley trey from the left wing, and closed with a transition layup from Jalen Gaffney. The run also featured a highlight reel jam by Adams set up by a Vital's takeaway at the 14:48 mark. Vital intercepted an errant Black Bear pass and advanced the ball to Adams who drove the lane and jammed it over the head of Fleming.

Boo-yah, grandma!

Connecticut cruised from that point on and gained a 24-point victory over the Black Bears.

With the win, the Huskies improve to 5-2, while the Black Bears fall to 2-5. UConn will next host the Iona Gaels at Gampel Pavilion on Tuesday night. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. and the game will be televised on SNY, streamed on ESPN3, and broadcast on the UConn IMG Radio Network.

—Staff Reports

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