A furious 15-2 run in the opening minutes and a late second half surge propelled UConn to a 57-49 victory over Harvard Friday night at Gampel Pavilion.
STAR OF THE GAME: DeAndre Daniels, playing with a sore back, poured in a career high 23 points. At one time, Daniels had 23 of UConn’s 37. The versatile 6-foot-8 sophomore hit from outside, penetrated to the basket, scored in the paint and outran Harvard on the break.
KEY TO THE WIN: UConn’s defense was intense from start-to-finish, forcing the Crimson into `8 turnovers. Harvard managed just 13 assists.
*Shabazz Napier scored just six points, but he did everything else — rebound, distribute, you know it — to ignite a crucial second half run. Napier’s first basket—a 3-pointer from the left wing—came with just 7:35 to play. He pulled in a team-high seven rebounds and dished out nine assists.
*In his first career start, Enosch Wolf failed to record a rebound in 20 minutes. He did, however, make a few hustle plays — diving for a loose ball, blocking an early shot in the paint — that helped UConn to its blistering 15-2 start. Coming off the bench for the first time this season, Tyler Olander was relatively unproductive. He totaled just four points and two boards in 20 minutes.
*Harvard entered Friday shooting 43.2 percent from 3-point range, which ranked 10th in the nation. The Crimson, in an early 13-point hole, shot its way back into the game with five longballs in the final 14 minutes of the half. The Crimson didn’t hit another from downtown.
UP NEXT: vs. Maryland Eastern Shore, Dec. 17
