UConn tested by Sacred Heart before pulling away late

Storrs — UConn's level of success this season will likely depend on the development of its supporting cast.

Coach Dan Hurley has mentioned that theme many times during the preseason, including on Thursday, the day before the regular season opener against Sacred Heart.

"We need big jumps from pretty much every returner," Hurley said.

Early signs are encouraging. Junior Tyler Polley, redshirt sophomore Sid Wilson and sophomore Brendan Adams made significant contributions in a harder-than expected victory. They combined for 38 points, 28 in the first half alone, to help lift the Huskies to an 89-67 win.

Adams finished with a career-high 15 points while Polley had 10 points and Wilson 13 points.

The trio averaged a combined 15.6 points last season.

Good thing they played well because UConn's veteran backcourt of Christian Vital and Alterique Gilbert played like nervous newcomers until getting on track in the second half. And the other member of the team's big three club, center Josh Carlton, battled early foul trouble.

Once UConn's top three returning scorers heated up, the Huskies seized control and rolled to the expected rout. Vital scored of 15 of his 17 points in the second half, Carlton had a game-high 18 points and eight rebounds. Gilbert added just six points.

The Huskies, who led 40-37 at the break, did everything better in the second half.

Carlton scored the first eight points after intermission to hand

UConn its biggest lead thus far, 48-37. Then Vital, who had two points, four turnovers and no field goals in the first half, came to life, burying consecutive three-pointers. Gilbert added a basket to cap a 16-4 run to push the lead to 56-41.

UConn's defense tightened up considerably as well and Hurley could finally take a deep breath.

The UConn coach considers season

openers to be stressful, anxiety-ridden games. And the Huskies did nothing to calm his fears in the first half. They got off to a rocky start. Neither team led by more than six in an ugly first half that featured 25 fouls and 21 turnovers, including 14 by Sacred Heart.

The Pioneers dominated the boards, 28-13, and grabbed 11 offensive rebounds.

Good chance that rebounding, or UConn's lack there of, was a hot topic of conversation during Hurley's halftime chat.

The subject of Vital being involved in a brief skirmish with Sacred Heart's Zach Pfaffenberger also likely came up. Tempers flared between the two players near the sideline. Officials stepped in to break them up and then checked the replay monitor during a timeout.

Both players received a technical foul. Vital had more fouls (two) than field goals (zero) in the first half and Gilbert had just four points. Wilson, Adams and Polley kept the Huskies afloat. The first two scored 14 of the team's first 21 points. Then Polley took the scoring baton, notching seven straight points.

By halftime, Wilson (10 points), Polley (10 points) and Adams (eight points) all surpassed their season average last season of 4.6, 8.4 and 2.6, respectively.

But the Huskies couldn't shake the Pioneers until the second half.

Redshirt freshman Akok Akok finished with four points, four blocks and four rebounds in his debut. Freshman Jalen Gaffney went scoreless in nine minutes.

Hurley announced Thursday that freshman guard James Bouknight was suspended for the first three games for his off-the-court troubles.

UConn has won all seven meeting in the series. It won the previous six by average of 34.3 points.

The Pioneers fell to 0-2, losing their season opener at Providence, 106-60, on Tuesday.