UConn men can’t dig themselves out of an early hole and lose to Maryland, 63-54, in first round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday night.
UConn can’t dig out of an early hole and lose to Maryland
West Lafayette, Ind. — UConn tried to conjure up some March Madness magic that the program is well known for in its rich history.
But the seventh-seeded Huskies came up empty in their first NCAA tournament appearance in five years, disappearing from the East
Region bracket with an ugly 63-54 first-round loss to No. 10 Maryland on Saturday night at Purdue's Mackey Arena.
The Huskies (15-8) left their shooting shoes back in Storrs, going a miserable 32.3 percent from the floor. They trailed by 11 at half and never recovered from a dreadful start.
Star guard James Bouknight couldn't save the Huskies, as he went just 6 for 16 from the field and scored a team-high 15 points while receiving special attention from the Terps (1713). Projected to be a potential NBA lottery pick, he'll have a decision to make regarding his future during the off-season.
Sophomore Jalen Gaffney was the only other UConn player to hit double figures, scoring 12 points.
The Huskies battled the entire game and attempted to mount a comeback after falling behind by 14 early in the second half.
Senior Tyler Polley buried a 3-pointer to cut the gap to 53-46 with 5:41 remaining and UConn made a defensive stop to get the ball back.
Coming out a timeout, UConn ran a play for Bouknight who hit a foul-inducing layup. But he missed the free throw, leaving the deficit at 53-48 with 2:53 left.
After Maryland stretched the lead to nine, UConn had one more burst left. Senior Isaiah Whaley's tip-in cut the gap to 57-51 with 1:38 remaining.
Maryland closed out the game from there.
It was a painful ending to a season that UConn took big steps forward as a program in coach Dan Hurley's third season.
Maryland was the better team on Saturday.
The veteran Terps showed what Big Ten basketball is all about, applying a defensive stranglehold and executing on the offensive end when needed. Junior Eric Ayala, who played at Putnam Science Academy, scored 23 points, 14 in the first half.
UConn's first possession of the game was a sign of things to come.
After Whaley missed two free throws, the Huskies grabbed the offensive rebound and missed, grabbed another rebound and missed, and grabbed one more and missed again.
The Huskies finished with 22 offensive rebounds but managed just 11 second chance points.
That hurt.
UConn and Maryland traded body blows at the start. The Huskies stayed close despite misfiring on 13 of their first 16 shots.
Bouknight started to come to life, scoring seven straight points. His 3-pointer from the corner tied the score at 16-all. Then Gaffney banked in a 3-pointer for a 19-18 lead with just under eight minutes left until halftime.
But Maryland heated up, breaking away on a 10-0 run.
The Terrapins hit three straight 3-pointers, including one by Aaron Wiggins for a 28-19 lead. Hurley called timeout.
It didn't help.
Polley finally buried a 3-pointer to break the drought. It was UConn's only field goal in the final 7:55 of the first half. The Huskies were just 9 for 39 from the field.