Adams Carried Off in Blowout Loss
The Story: Jalen Adams was helped off the floor after injuring his left knee and did not return as the Huskies were routed by Temple 81-63 last night in Philadelphia.
WHAT HAPPENED? Adams was injured six minutes into the game and did not return. The initial diagnosis was a sprained MCL and he will have an MRI exam this afternoon to assess the extent of the damage. We should know sometime today how long Adams will be out and if he will return at some point this month. Adams, a senior, also has professional aspirations and would need to take that into account also when he looks at his knee.
TEMPLE SHOOTS THE LIGHTS OUT: The Huskies (13-10, 4-6) weren’t in the game from the start, and when Adams got hurt the team never recovered. It also didn’t help that Temple, which shoots just a shade above 31 percent from 3-point range on the season, looked like the Golden State Warriors at times, hitting 11-of-23 3-pointers. Shizza Alston Jr. led the Owls with 18 points and Nate Pierre-Louis added 17.
CARLTON, VITAL BRIGHT SPOTS: Josh Carlton had another nice game with 18 points and 13 rebounds while Christian Vital added 18 points. Eric Cobb also had a decent game with 13 points and five rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: The Owls (17-6, 7-3) shot over 62 percent from the floor in the first half to take a 46-20 lead. UConn’s offense didn’t fire, shooting 32 percent from the floor in the first half for a season-low 20 points. UConn was 2-of-12 from 3-point range in the first half and ended up 4-of-18 from 3-point range. Remarkably, Temple committed only five turnovers.
NO ADAMS, NO GILBERT: Alterique Gilbert missed his third straight game in what is becoming more worrisome as time goes by. There is no update on his condition, though he did participate in warmups. If he didn’t lose two years due to injury to that shoulder, we wouldn’t be worried, but he figures to get hit in that shoulder when he returns and that could cause problems.
WHAT DID DAN HURLEY SAY? “Obviously, I did not have my team ready to play at the start of that game. … We just were not ready to go those first couple of possessions. You dig a hole like that, No. 1, it’s embarrassing, and No. 2, you eliminate any chance of getting back in the game and getting a win.”
BOTTOM LINE: The Huskies are 13-10, and their starting backcourt of Gilbert and now Adams is injured. We would expect Gilbert back, but Adams had a lot to consider depending on his diagnosis. The Huskies are in the midst of their toughest stretch of the year and, without their two leading scorers, have no real options on the bench to replace. This is an opportunity for players like Tyler Polley and Brendan Adams to get more shots, though both were scoreless on Wednesday. Sidney Wilson had six points but shot 2-of-9.
It’s a tough year so far for the Huskies, who have had the injury bug hit at the worst time. In future years, perhaps, the Huskies will have the quality depth to compensate, but in year one of the Dan Hurley era, it is too much to ask. The Huskies can still challenge for a winning record and maybe make the NIT on name recognition. Right now, that would seem like a successful season.
UP NEXT: UConn heads to Memphis (13-9, 5-4) on Sunday afternoon, continuing what is shaping up to be their most difficult three-game stretch of the season.
Women Never Challenged in Romp
The Story: Katie Lou Samuelson scored a season-high 31 points as the No. 5-ranked Huskies demolished ECU 118-55 at the XL Center last night. All five starters easily hit double figures in scoring, with Napheesa Collier adding 21 points on perfect 10-of-10 shooting.
CATCH YOUR BREATH: The margin of victory was like water in the desert for the Huskies (20-2, 9-0), who had two tough games last week and could benefit from a more relaxed outing. Samuelson scored her 31 points in just 20 minutes, including 27 in the first half, and left the game for good with 3:59 remaining in the third quarter. Freshman Christyn Williams, who played 31 minutes and scored 15 points, was the only starter on the court for more than half an hour. The reserves finished off the game, playing the last 6:29 and combining for 25 points and 19 rebounds.
SLUMP IS OVER? Samuelson had struggled with her shot in the Huskies’ previous six games but broke out in a big way last night, making nine of her 11 attempts, including both 3-pointers, and shooting 11-of-13 from the free throw line. She was also active on the boards, snagging eight rebounds, and had five assists. “That’s how any player can get out of a shooting slump,” she said. “It’s making sure that every play you are doing something, whether it’s scoring or not, but make sure you get involved.”
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: Crystal Dangerfield had 12 assists, one off the team’s single-game record, in leading an efficient offense that shot 57 percent and made 11 of 24 3-pointers. The Huskies made 15 of their first 18 shots to race out to a 41-13 advantage at the end of the first quarter and the lead hit 66 points with 1:58 remaining. They had a 45-37 edge on the glass, outscored the Pirates 62-24 in the paint and did not yield a single point off their seven turnovers, but scored 34 points on ECU’s 26 mistakes.
WHAT DID GENO SAY? “I don’t think it’s that [Samuelson and Collier] need a breather because they’re tired. I think what they need is they need to be able to sit down on the bench and look at the game and see some things that they can’t see from being out there. That is the biggest benefit of not being out on the court nonstop. So, if I can do that on a more regular basis, that would be great.”
UP NEXT: A rematch against Temple (8-14, 4-5), which UConn defeated 88-67 in Philadelphia on Jan. 19, will take place at Gampel Pavilion on Saturday.
Edsall Finalizes Recruiting Class
The story: The football team added seven more players on Wednesday, the start of the spring signing period, meaning 20 new players will be on the team when the season begins against Wagner on Aug. 29.
LATE GETS: The Huskies added two players’ commitments on signing day in competitive wins for Randy Edsall and staff. Matt Drayton, a wide receiver from Jacksonville, Florida, committed, and defensive end Dal’Mont Gourdine, from South Carolina, chose UConn over Tulane at a signing event.
WIDE RECEIVER RELOAD: The Huskies are bringing in a full corps of wide receivers, adding Drayton, Cameron Ross and Kevens Clericus and graduate transfer Ardell Brown. The graduations of Hergy Mayala, Kyle Buss and Tyraiq Beals mean UConn will have lost three of their top four wide receivers from last season, and while Brown figures to fill in immediately, the others will compete for a spot on the two-deep.
OVERALL BREAKDOWN: UConn added 15 freshmen and five transfers, including four who will be eligible to play immediately as graduate students. Five defensive linemen, four wide receivers, three defensive backs, two linebackers, two offensive linemen, two quarterbacks, one running back and one tight end are part of the class.
HIGHLIGHTS: Want to see the highlights of each player who signed yesterday? Take a look at each clip compiled by UConn:
| QB Mike Beaudry | DE Jeff Woods |
| WR Kevens Clercius | WR Ardell Brown |
| WR Matt Drayton | WR Cameron Ross |
| DE Dal’Mont Gourdine |
Morning Reads
A LOOK AT BELL: One of the Huskies’ most highly regarded recruits in the past five years, defensive back Myles Bell has a skill set reminiscent of former cornerback Darius Butler. (Storrs Central)
FEOLE TABBED AS ALL-AMERICAN: UConn pitcher Mason Feole was selected as an NCBWA Preseason Second-Team All-American on Tuesday. Feole, who has made three preseason All-America teams, had a 2.50 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 100 innings last season. The Huskies open the season against Louisville in Lakeland, Florida, on Feb. 15. (UConnHuskies.com)
MEN’S HOCKEY FACES NO. 13 NORTHEASTERN: UConn will host No. 13 Northeastern tonight at the XL Center. UConn is winless in its last six games and is 0-10-1 in its last 11 Hockey East games. (UConnHuskies.com)
A NEW BEGINNING: Two players from Connecticut, junior pitcher Katie Koshes and sophomore shortstop Briana Marcelino, hope to put the struggles of last season in the past as the softball team prepares for its opener tomorrow at the Florida International tournament. (Hearst Connecticut Media)
