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Photo Courtesy of Matt Bayerowski

Men's Basketball Joe Browning

No. 25 UConn Surges Past Seahawks

Box Score STORRS, Connecticut – No. 25 UConn shook off an early challenge by UNCW and parlayed a 17-0 spurt over a five-minute stretch in the second half to an 86-50 victory over the Seahawks late Friday at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion.
 
The Huskies of the Big East Conference remained unbeaten at 4-0 on the young season, winning their four outings by an average of 29.0 ppg. The Seahawks stand 1-3 after tackling a challenging early season slate.
 
Junior forward Adama Sonogo led all scorers in the contest with 24 points on 8-for-12 shooting, most of the baskets coming from close range. Sophomore guard Jordan Hawkins added 20 points and redshirt freshman forward Alex Karaban chipped in 12 for the Huskies, who shot 53.8 percent for the game.
 
Senior guard Shykeim Phillips and sophomore guard Jamarii Thomas had 16 points each for the Seahawks. UNCW was limited to 30.9 percent from the floor and was outscored in the second half, 46-22. Thomas set a new career high with his point total.
 
"We came out, scrapped and clawed, and I thought we were really tough," said third-year UNCW Head Coach Takayo Siddle. "I thought we were really good for the first 16 minutes and they kind of blew it open at the end of the first half. We fought the whole game.
 
"I hate losing and there are no moral victories. I couldn't be more proud of them. There are a lot of positives that we can take away from tonight."
 
Making their first visit to Storrs, the Seahawks stayed with the high-octane Huskies in the early going until Dan Hurley's club broke away late in the opening period for a 40-28 advantage at intermission.
 
Still leading 47-23, early in the final period, the Huskies exploded for 17 unanswered points over a 5:22 span to blow the game open. Hawkins drained a three-pointer and followed with a dunk to kickstart the run, which gave UConn a 64-33 bulge midway through the final period.
 
UConn's largest lead of the game came with 57 seconds remaining when reserve forward Richie Springs dropped in a pair of free throws.
 
The Seahawks took it to the bigger Huskies early, snatching a quick 7-2 lead following Trazarien White's jumper at the free throw line just 3:42 into the contest.
 
UNCW, behind Thomas, hung around until the two-minute mark when Hawkins came alive. With the Huskies clinging to a 23-22 advantage, Hawkins drained a three-pointer in the right corner and then sank another trey – this time in front of the Seahawk bench – to pad UConn's lead to 34-24 with 1:15 left in the opening frame.
 
Philips canned a jumper on the right elbow to close the gap to 37-28 with 11 ticks left in the half, but Karaban benefitted from a roll on a three-point attempt deep in the right corner to give the Huskies a 40-28 lead at the break.
 
Thomas closed out the first half with 10 points – matching his previous career high - on 4-for-4 shooting and 2-for-3 at the charity stripe. The Greensboro, N.C., guard equaled the 10 points he scored in an 80-64 victory over Northern Colorado in the semifinals of the 2022 College Basketball Invitational in Daytona Beach.
 
The Seahawks return to North Carolina for their second home appearance of the season on Monday, Nov. 21, vs. Mount Olive. Tip is set for 7 p.m. at Trask Coliseum.
 
GAME NOTES: The Seahawks are 0-3 on the road following losses to North Carolina, Oklahoma and UConn…UConn went 10-for-22 from three-point range, while UNCW finished 3-for-15…UNCW's bench outscored their counterparts, 19-14....The Seahawks shot 2.22 percent in the second half…The Huskies had 20 assists on 28 baskets…UNCW is now 1-3 against Connecticut opponents, including 0-2 vs. UConn…The Seahawks are 3-8 vs. the Big East Conference…UNCW is 1-37 against ranked opponents…The Huskies have been ranked (No. 12 in 1997) both times the Seahawks have faced the Connecticut team…It was UNCW's first game against a Big East foe since a matchup at Georgetown on Dec. 12, 2015…Siddle is 17-11 against non-conference opponents, including 5-8 in true road games.


 
 
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Players Mentioned

Shykeim Phillips

#2 Shykeim Phillips

G
6' 2"
Senior
Jamarii Thomas

#0 Jamarii Thomas

G
6' 0"
Sophomore
Trazarien White

#13 Trazarien White

F
6' 6"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Shykeim Phillips

#2 Shykeim Phillips

6' 2"
Senior
G
Jamarii Thomas

#0 Jamarii Thomas

6' 0"
Sophomore
G
Trazarien White

#13 Trazarien White

6' 6"
Sophomore
F