University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Connecticut
UMass Sucumbs To No. 3 UConn, 78-60
December 09, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 9, 2005
Box Score | Notes | Photo Gallery
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Rudy Gay had 17 points and nine rebounds to lead No. 3 Connecticut to a 78-60 victory over Massachusetts on Thursday night in the 108th meeting of the New England programs.
Josh Boone had 10 rebounds and scored all of his 13 points in the second half and Rashad Anderson added 15 points for the Huskies (7-0), who avoided consecutive losses to the Minutemen.
UMass (2-2) upset the favored Huskies last year at the Mullins Center and fans stormed the court after the 61-59 win. It was UConn coach Jim Calhoun's first loss to the longtime rival. But a dominant UConn post, Anderson's outside shooting and the athletic Gay were too much for the Minutemen, who have lost three of their last four. UConn leads the series 69-39.
Rashaun Freeman, who hit the winning basket for the Minutemen last season, had 19 points and nine rebounds, while Jeff Viggiano added 17 points for UMass.
UConn quickly extended its nine-point halftime lead going inside to Boone. His putback with 13:04 left sparked a 9-0 spurt that featured a thunderous roundhouse dunk from Gay. It drew an ovation from the crowd of 16,294 at the Hartford Civic Center and a timeout from first-year UMass coach Travis Ford.
But by then, the Huskies were on a roll and would increase the lead to as many as 23 points.
As he's done all season, Anderson gave the Huskies the spark they needed off the bench. The senior sharpshooter had eight points in a 21-3 run early in the first half, including consecutive 3s. Denham Brown's 3-pointer capped the run and the Huskies had a 23-10 lead.
With Boone in foul trouble, Huskies forward Ed Nelson dominated inside. He had eight points, eight rebounds and a block in 16 minutes in the first half.
Viggiano and Freeman helped the Minutemen mount a charge late in the half. Viggiano's 3-pointer cut the UConn lead to nine with 4:35 left. Freeman hit two straight baskets to get the Minutemen within 45-38 at the 3:05 mark. The Huskies regained the momentum after Ford was called for a technical. Brown made both free throws and the Huskies closed out the half on a 6-4 run to take a 41-32 lead.
