UConn wins ugly over USC, 61-58

The UConn Huskies remain in the ranks of the unbeaten. The Huskies defeated the USC Trojans in Bubbleville on Thursday night, earning a 61-58 win. The victory pushed the Huskies to 3-0 on the young year, as thus far they’ve passed every test and overcome every obstacle tossed their way.

The two teams ping-ponged their way through much of the first half. UConn would soon go on a run towards the end, but USC closed the gap a bit to make it 39-33 in the Huskies’ favor. UConn eventually built up a lead as large as 53-40 at the 14:23 mark in the second half. From there though, the Trojans chipped and chipped away some more while shots just weren’t falling for the Huskies.

But eventually UConn was able to escape. Despite the three-point edge in the late seconds, USC’s comeback attempt fell short. Ultimately, in a not so pretty performance, the Huskies still remain unblemished.

(Speaking of ugly, let’s not talk about how there were 11 combined points scored in the final 10 minutes of this game, okay?)

James Bouknight, Tyrese Martin and Isaiah Whaley finished the game in double figures. Bouknight led all scorers with 18 points, while Martin put up 11 and Whaley dropped 10. Josh Carlton came one point shy of double figures, with nine points off the bench. R.J. Cole and Jalen Gaffney each put up six points and, last but not least, Adama Sanogo put up one.

Evan Mobley of the Trojans finished as the only player on his team in double figures. The freshman big man scored 17 points and went 9-for-11 on free throw attempts. Drew Peterson and Noah Baumann scored nine points each, falling just shy of joining Mobley in double figures.

Despite each teams’ inefficiencies, they didn’t see that at the free throw line. They both shot 80 percent or better, with the Trojans (17-21) just edging the Huskies (16-20).