Adams scores 21 as UConn rips Lafayette
HARTFORD — Well, that was easy.
Sandwiched in between games against a pair of national powerhouses, UConn did what it had to do on Wednesday, blowing out Lafayette 90-63 at XL Center.
Now, things get tricky again.
Jalen Adams led five UConn players in double figures with 21 points and Alterique Gilbert doled out a career-best 11 assists as UConn made easy work of the Leopards.
Tyler Polley added a career-high 16 points and Christian Vital added 14 as different players took turns getting hot. Polley had 13 in the first half, including nine straight Husky points at one point. Brendan Adams had the hot hand in the latter half, scoring nine of his careerhigh 11 points.
Jalen Adams was pretty much hot the entire game, hitting 9 of 15 shots, including 3 of 6 3-pointers.
Now UConn (7-2) steps back into the deep end of the pool, facing No. 11 Florida State on Saturday in Newark, N.J. On the heels of Sunday’s home loss to Arizona, the Huskies quickly get another chance for a big-game hunting.
The Huskies owned a 45-29 lead at the break on Wednesday, shooting 50 percent from the floor and hitting 6 of 13 3-pointers. Still, the team incurred coach Dan Hurley’s wrath throughout the half, particularly on the defensive end. While Lafayette (2-6) shot a mere 26 percent from the floor, it wasn’t for a lack of open looks. The Leopards also grabbed seven offensive rebounds as the Huskies neglected to box out their man a few too many times.
Polley had topped his career high in the opening half, while Jalen Adams also had 13 at the break. Gilbert didn’t score but doled out seven assists.
Josh Carlton finished with 11 points and seven boards for UConn and Brendan Adams pulled down six rebounds.