A look back at Saturday’s UConn-DePaul game:
UConn 64, DePaul 57
TURNING POINT _ Ahead by just three points with 2:44 left in the game, UConn point guard Kemba Walker was sent to the free throw line. Walker made his first, but his second missed its mark.
Six-foot-11 UConn forward Ater Majok, who had exactly zero rebounds in 14 minutes of first-half action, then found the perfect time to crash the boards. He pulled Walker’s miss away from DePaul’s Mac Koshwal _ Majok’s cousin _ and fed the ball back out to reset the Husky offense.
Some 20 seconds later Jerome Dyson hit a fallback jumper from the baseline that put the Huskies up 60-54 and gave the home team just enough separation to survive.
“It probably won the game for us,” acting UConn coach George Blaney said.
The maturation of Majok continues, albeit at a slow pace. He came through with six points, four rebounds and five blocked shots Saturday, and gave the Huskies plenty of energy according to his coach.
“We’ve told him all along and coach (Jim Calhoun) told him along is that his motor is what makes him so effective,” Blaney said. “He plays with great energy and enthusiasm.”
UNSUNG HERO _ UConn might not have had the services of three of its starters if not for trainer James Doran.
Dyson was battling a mystery stomach issue, Stanley Robinson’s left arm was cramping constantly and even Kemba Walker was slowed by sore legs.
BEST ‘X’ AND/OR ‘O’ _ UConn certainly appeared to get a “friendly whistle” Saturday night at Gampel, but its propensity for driving to the basket (or is that its distaste for shooting from the outside) also helped facilitate a number of trips to the free throw line.
DePaul was called for 26 fouls and UConn attempted 35 free throws. The Blue Demons attempted only six.
“It’s not unusual to see a disparity in foul shots,” Blaney said. “We got to the basket very hard. We generally offensive rebound very hard. So we’re going to go to the basket. And we’re generally pretty big.”
Interim DePaul coach Tracy Webster protested two consecutive calls in the first half rather vociferously _ he appeared to have two good arguments _ and received a technical foul. After the game, however, he didn’t fire any direct shots at the officiating crew for the disparity in free throw attempts.
“All I can say is the six that we took, we need to make all six of them. That’s what we need to do,” Webster said. “Hopefully one day we’ll get to the line 40 times.”
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS _ UConn forward Stanley Robinson’s new do didn’t do him any favors in its first game. Four days after cutting his famous cornrows, Robinson had a rather pedestrian game against DePaul.
He managed to score 10 points, keeping his consecutive games in double figures streak alive at 29, but wasn’t at his best. Robinson hit just two of his eight shots from the floor and went through an entire game without a dunk _ something the 6-foot-9, high-flyer rarely does.
Of course, it probably wasn’t the lack of hair that sapped Robinson’s strength. He was battling cramps all evening, especially in his back and forearm.
LOOKING AHEAD _ It’s the first meeting between UConn and Syracuse since the six-overtime affair at the Garden last March.
The rivalry renews with the two teams headed in opposite directions. The Orange are rolling and the Huskies are reeling.
Well, UConn does own a win over top-ranked Texas has played a few tough games.
“It appears sometimes we play to the competition,” Blaney said. “That’s what it’s starting to look like. So hopefully we’ll be jacked up and ready to play against Syracuse.”
BY THE NUMBERS
Plus-3.2 _ UConn’s rebound margin per game this season (39.7 to 36.5).
Plus-8.9 _ UConn’s rebound margin per game last season.
1992-93 _ The last time a UConn team had a margin smaller than its current one for a full season. That season UConn out-rebounded its opponents by an average of 1.5 per game.
- Neill
