UConn had won 44 straight non-conference games at Gampel Pavilion before losing to Texas Sunday. That streak dated back to a loss to Detroit-Mercy in the 2001 postseason NIT. UConn also hadn’t lost an on-campus, non-conference game in November or December since 1973.
Here is a box score of that game against Detroit-Mercy:
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- Notice that UConn’s leading scorer that night was former Holy Cross High star Edmund Saunders.
Holding their own: Ollie was concerned coming into the game about how UConn would deal with Texas’ size. The Longhorns entered the game at plus-14.2 in the rebounding department.
The Huskies became the first team to outrebound the Longhorns this year, holding a modest 36-35 advantage. UConn turned 12 offensive rebounds, three by Kentan Facey, into an 11-2 edge in second-chance points.
“We always take rebounding as a challenge,” said Facey, who tied for game-best rebounding honors with eight. “I take it on myself to go out there and get as many rebounds as I can.”
Free throws: The teams combined for just 14 field goals in the second half … UConn’s free-throw shooting was much better (17 of 21) than it was against West Virginia (9 of 18) … Texas finished with eight blocks while UConn had four … Hamilton had nine of his 13 points in the first 10 minutes of the game.
