Nov. 23, 2008 — After a first game that was closer than some expected, a day off Saturday seemed to be exactly what the University of Connecticut needed as they cruised to a 76-63 win over the Miami Hurricanes in game two Sunday night.
UConn jumped all over the Hurricanes early, taking a 16-7 lead with about 14 minutes left in the first half. By the 6:52 mark, the lead had swollen to 19. But what seemed to be a downgraded tropical storm picked up intensity behind Miami guard Jack McClinton, who scored 15 points in the first half. By the end of the period, UConn's lead was down to eight.
The second half turned into the Hasheem Thabeet show, with the UConn center picking up 13 of his 19 points to go along with 14 rebounds and seven blocks. Thabeet swatted anything in his direction, and turned the Hurricanes' offense into a mostly perimeter-shooting team. The Hurricanes managed to pull within seven at 45-38 when McClinton hit a three-pointer with a little more than 15 minutes left in the game, but that would be as close as the Canes — who never held the lead during the game — would get.
The Huskies would hold on for the 13-point victory, improving to 2-0 and putting them in the tournament's championship game at 9:30 p.m. Monday against the Wisconsin Badgers, who beat San Diego 64-49 on Sunday.
Along with Thabeet, three other Huskies finished with double figures: A.J. Price with 13, Jerome Dyson with 12 and Kemba Walker with 11.
For the Hurricanes, McClinton finished with a game-high 27 points to go along with five rebounds. Dwayne Collins finished with a double-double, dropping 16 points and picking up 14 rebounds.
Back Talk Share your reaction to this news with other Source readers. Please include headline, your name and city and state/country or island where you reside.
