National Basketball Association
Southern Methodist 64, Connecticut 55
When: 2:00 PM ET, Sunday, February 23, 2014
Where: Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, Storrs, Connecticut
Officials:
# Jamie Luckie, # Michael Stephens, # Shawn Nestor
Attendance:
10167
By SportsDirect Inc.
Southern Methodist 64, No. 21 Connecticut 55: Nic Moore and Nick Russell each scored 15 points as the visiting Mustangs held the Huskies to 29.6 percent shooting en route to their sixth win in seven games.
Markus Kennedy contributed 13 points and seven rebounds while Sterling Brown added eight boards for SMU (22-6, 11-4 American Athletic Conference). Moore added five assists and the Mustangs controlled the game throughout, holding the league’s best 3-point shooting team to 6-of-21 from behind the arc.
Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright each registered 15 points for the Huskies (21-6, 9-5), but were limited to 8-of-28 from the field. Niels Giffey chipped in with 11 points off the bench as Connecticut lost to SMU for the second time this season and saw its four-game winning streak come to an end.
The Huskies did not score for more than six minutes to start the game and trailed by as much as seven in a sloppy first half before pulling within 27-25 at intermission. Kennedy scored eight points and the Mustangs held UConn to 34.6 percent from the field as both teams turned the ball over 11 times in the opening 20 minutes.
Russell’s two 3-pointers helped build SMU’s lead to 10 as the Huskies continued to struggle shooting with only one field goal the first nine minutes of the second half. Napier’s jumper pulled UConn within 54-49 before Brown drained a 3-pointer and Moore scored the next four as the Mustangs gained the cushion they needed to seal it.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The 22 wins are the most for the Mustangs since recording a program-record 28 in 1987-88. It’s the sixth time they have won at least 22. … Napier, who averages 17.8 points, was 7-of-25 from the field in the two games against SMU this season. … UConn honored its first national championship team from 1998-99 during a halftime ceremony.
Top Game Performances
| Southern Methodist |
|
Connecticut |
|
Nic Moore 15 |
Scoring |
Ryan Boatright 15 |
|
Nic Moore 5 |
Assists |
Ryan Boatright 3 |
|
Sterling Brown 8 |
Rebounds |
Amida Brimah 8 |
|
Nic Moore 6 |
Free Throws Made |
Ryan Boatright 7 |
|
Sterling Brown 2 |
Steals |
Shabazz Napier 3 |
|
Ryan Manuel 2 |
Blocks |
Amida Brimah 3 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Southern Methodist
|
64 |
46.7 |
6-12 |
16-24 |
13 |
29 |
3 |
9 |
15 |
| Connecticut
|
55 |
29.6 |
6-21 |
17-23 |
7 |
34 |
5 |
7 |
16 |
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