The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
The ‘Magnificent 7’
Short-handed Huskies snap skid with blowout win
STORRS — The Magnificent Seven? Maybe not.
Down to just seven scholarship players on Wednesday night, however, UConn snapped a four-game losing streak and dominated Temple in just about every way en route to a 78-63 victory at Gampel Pavilion.
Missing starting point guard Alterique Gilbert (personal reasons) and forward Sid Wilson (knee) from an already shorthanded roster, UConn banded together its remaining scholarship players and got the job done.
Jalen Gaffney, in his first college start, took over the point guard reins and played well — nine points, five assists and just a pair of turnovers. James Bouknight scored 12 points and displayed his otherworldly athleticism on a steal and breakaway dunk midway through the latter half. Akok Akok had 10 points and four locks.
All three of those players are freshmen.
Senior Christian Vital led the way with a double-double (15 points, 10 rebounds), Brendan Adams added 12 points and Josh Carlton 10.
And that was it. Coach Dan Hurley didn’t even have to call on his pair of walk-ons until the final minute, like any good blowout. All seven available scholarship players contributed nearly equally.
Magnificent? Maybe not. But UConn got a desperately needed victory — and looked pretty good doing it, too.
RIM RATTLINGS
UConn announced before the game that Wilson and Gilbert would not play. Wilson, a redshirt sophomore forward, suffered a right knee contusion in Sunday’s overtime loss to Tulsa and is receiving daily treatment. His progress will be monitored by the UConn medical staff.
Gilbert appears to be an entirely different story. The fourth-year junior point guard has struggled much of the season, turning the ball over far too often — particularly down the stretch of games.
The prior three games were particularly tough for Gilbert. At Villanova on Jan. 18, his turnover with just over a minute left and UConn trailing by a point led to a dagger 3-pointer by Jermaine Samuels that pretty much sealed Villanova’s victory.
On Jan. 23 at Houston, Gilbert hit just one of seven free throws for the game and committed a pair of turnovers down the stretch that helped turn a six-point lead into a four-point loss.
In the overtime loss to Tulsa on Sunday, Gilbert was benched for much of the second half and all of overtime as freshman point gaurd Jalen Gaffney helped spur a 12-0 run that gave the Huskies the lead midway through the latter half.
UConn offered no particular reason for Gilbert’s absence prior to the game.
Gilbert was still on UConn’s campus on Wednesday, according to a source, but was not at the game.
The Huskies were already down to nine scholarship players, with Tyler Polley out for the season following knee surgery, R.J. Cole (transfer) and Richie Springs (academic redshirt) sitting out the season. UConn is down to 12 scholarships this season after docking itself a scholarship as a self-imposed penalty from former coach Kevin Ollie’s recruiting and other violations.