Huskies Too Much
February 18, 2006 08:55 PM | General
February 18, 2006
GAME INFO: BOX SCORE | PHOTO GALLERY
CSTV All-ACCESS: 
BEILEIN POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The frontcourt trio of Josh Boone, Rudy Gay and Hilton Armstrong combined to score 47 points to lead No. 1 Connecticut to a hard-fought, 81-75 victory over the 11th ranked West Virginia Mountaineers Saturday afternoon at the WVU Coliseum.
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| Connecticut's Josh Boone goes for a rebound during Saturday's game against West Virginia in Morgantown, W.Va. Connecticut won the game 81-75.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks |
The Huskies (23-2, 10-2) came into the game determined to establish a low-post presence and they did so early, feeding the ball to Armstrong and Boone at will. Five of Connecticut’s first six baskets came on dunk shots, three by Armstrong and two by Boone.
“On the offensive end our job was to get the ball inside. We worked on that against the 1-3-1 for three straight days and I think we got five dunks out of it. We worked on nothing but getting the ball inside,” Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said.
Despite the early onslaught from the Husky frontcourt, the Mountaineers enjoyed their largest lead of the game, 18-13, after a J.D Collins lay up at the 13:40 mark of the first half.
Following the Collins drive, the Huskies went back to work inside as Boone, Gay and Armstrong combined to score 11 of Connecticut’s next 13 points on an array of lay ups and dunks. A Boone dunk at the 5:32 mark of the first half capped a 13-3 Connecticut run and gave the Huskies a 26-21 advantage.
“I thought our big kids dominated the game. The difference in the game was our power inside,” Calhoun said.
Mike Gansey answered with five straight points for West Virginia to cut the deficit to 28-27 before Connecticut went on a 7-0 run to gain their largest lead of the game, 35-27, with 2:08 remaining in the first half.
As they did all game, the Mountaineers (18-7, 9-3) battled back and following a Gansey fade-away 3 with 14 seconds to go in the first half, the Mountaineers trailed by only a point 35-34.
A baseline drive and dunk by Armstrong to end the half gave the Huskies a 37-34 lead at intermission. Connecticut shot a blistering 55 percent in the first half with 12 of their 16 made field goals coming in the paint.
West Virginia coach John Beilein felt helpless from a defensive standpoint.
“Their top six guys are tremendous players who all hit good shots. It’s impossible to defend them no matter what you’re in. They just threw the ball over the top of the 1-3-1,” Beilein said.
The Connecticut lead hovered between two and six points for the first six minutes of the second half, but when Gay hit two free throws to give the Huskies a 55-47 lead at the 13:47 mark, it appeared the nation’s top-ranked team might finally pull away.
Undeterred, West Virginia exploded for an 8-2 run, capped by a Frank Young jumper to pull the Mountaineers within two at 57-55 with 11:49 to go in the game. That set up one of the most critical sequences in the game.
Following a missed lay up by Boone, Kevin Pittsnogle grabbed the rebound and passed ahead to Young in transition setting up a two-on-zero fast break. However, Young’s lay up rolled around the rim and after Connecticut made it a four-point swing when Jeff Adrien followed up Gay’s 3-point miss from the wing.
A Pittsnogle bank-shot 3 with 1:17 left pulled the Mountaineers to within three, 75-72.
On the ensuing possession West Virginia got into its 1-3-1 zone and after carefully surveying the defense for an opportunity, Marcus Williams found Rashad Anderson open in the corner for a 3 that gave the Huskies a six-point, 78-72 lead with 54 seconds remaining in the game.
The Huskies then made three of four free throws in the final minute to dispel any hopes of a Mountaineer comeback.
For the game, the Mountaineers shot a very respectable 50 percent (28 of 56) from the field and 36 percent (10 of 28) from 3-point range.
Gansey led the way for the Mountaineers, scoring a game-high 25 points on 10 of 13 shooting from the floor including 5 of 6 from 3-point range.
Kevin Pittsnogle added 15 points and Joe Heber chipped in 14. Frank Young rounded out West Virginia double-figure scorers with 12.
Boone led the Huskies with 18 points, while Gay and Armstrong had 14 and 15 respectively. Anderson added 11.
Calhoun was relieved his team was able to avert its first two-game losing streak of the season.
“It was a great game today and it really could have gone either way. It was a terrific, terrific crowd and they were really into the game. It was great for our kids to get this win,” Calhoun said.
The Mountaineers now have a quick two-day turnaround as they prepare to head north for an ESPN Big Monday game against Syracuse. Tip time from the Carrier Dome is set for 7 p.m.
