UConn men’s basketball (3-0) was in complete control the entire way as it dismantled Wagner at Gampel Pavilion on Monday night, 83-41.
Nik Khamenia started the game with a three; his second three went down just a few minutes later as the Huskies opened the contest with a 14-0 run. Their defense was stifling, as Wagner (0-3) had only attempted two shots by that point.
The score was 16-6 at the U12 time-out before another Khamenia three followed by a nice stepback jumper from Junior County made it 21-6. Unfortunately, Khamenia went into the locker room favoring his leg after posting 11 points in seven minutes and did not return.
The Huskies hit a scoring lull but maintained their lead. They got to the free-throw line and finished strong in the paint to go into halftime up 44-18.
Silas Demary Jr. had 10 points in the first half and drove for a lay-up to get the second half started as the rout continued. The senior guard finished with 18 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Braylon Mullins’ threes weren’t going down, but he was assertive elsewhere, finishing 5-of-6 from the free-throw line with four rebounds, four assists, and 10 points.
Jayden Ross scored nine second-half points to push the lead further, and Na’jai Hines powered through early foul trouble to finish with 10 points and eight rebounds. Nils Machowski notched his first points as a Husky with a three-pointer to make it 71-28 near the halfway point, while Egor Amosov saw some playing time as well, finishing with four rebounds and one point.
Up next, the Huskies host Ohio State on Friday night in Hartford. The Buckeyes (2-1) received votes in the preseason AP rankings but fell out after losing to BYU in their season opener. They beat Youngstown State on Friday and Marshall on Monday night. The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. on TNT from PeoplesBank Arena.
Box Score
Team Stats
