No. 12 UConn beats Maine

HARTFORD, Conn. — UConn has had trouble with zone defenses in recent years, but with seven players hitting from 3-point range against Maine, that problem appears to be solved.

Ryan Boatright scored 17 points to lead a balanced UConn attack and the 12th-ranked Huskies routed the Black Bears 95-68 to stay undefeated.

DeAndre Daniels and Omar Calhoun both added 16 points, and Niels Giffey added 12 points for the Huskies (9-0). UConn shot 53 percent from the field and hit 14 of 25 shots from behind the arc.

“A lot of us go back to the gym at night,” Boatright said. “Last year, there was only a few of us that was taking the initiative and going back and working on our game. Now, it’s hard to even get a rim in there, because everybody’s in the gym shooting.”

Shabazz Napier scored just seven points. He never looked for his shot against the Black Bears, taking just five. Instead, the senior dished out eight assists, becoming the fourth player in school history with at least 1,000 points and 500 assists.

“It’s just a remarkable feat by him,” UConn coach Kevin Ollie said. “That’s what you get when you stay here for a long time. You have the opportunity to win and to be around great players. You get the opportunity to share the basketball and also make plays too.”

Xavier Pollard had 20 points for Maine ( 1-7), which has lost six straight. Zarko Valjarevic added 13 points, all in the second half.

The Huskies are off to their best start since going 10- 0 to open 2010-11 and have won 54 consecutive home games against nonconference opponents.