Adama Sanogo had his way inside with 20 points and nine rebounds, while R.J. Cole added 16 points, as No. 24 UConn rolled to an 89-54 nonconference victory Saturday over Coppin State at Hartford, Conn.
The Huskies (2-0) took advantage of a fatigued and road-weary Eagles team playing its fourth game in five days to start the season, all on the road. UConn took over midway through the first half and never looked back.
Tyrese Martin scored all 15 of his points in the first half for the Huskies, while Akok Akok scored 12 points and Jalen Gaffney had 11. Coppin State (0-4) did not have a player score in double figures, with Alex Rojas and Tyree Corbett scoring nine points each.
After Jesse Zarzuela hit a pull-up jumper to give Coppin State a 10-6 lead less than four minutes into the game, the Huskies went on a 14-0 run, punctuated by an Akok fast-break dunk for a 20-10 lead with 12:04 to go before the break.
The Huskies continued to build on the lead, taking a 45-25 lead on Cole’s steal and layup with 4:20 left before halftime. Then both teams went cold.
Cole’s basket was the last one made for either team before halftime. The Huskies missed their last nine shots of the first half, but Coppin State still trailed 46-28 at halftime.
The Eagles went without a basket for the final 5:14, making three free throws in that stretch.
Sanogo scored 10 points in the first 10:07 of the second half as UConn pulled away.
Coppin State shot just 31 percent from the field (16 of 52) and was outrebounded 50-38, while giving up 28 points off 23 turnovers.
UConn was playing for the first time since Tuesday when it coasted to a 51-point win over Central Connecticut.
Coppin State played back-to-back games in Chicago on Tuesday and Wednesday at Loyola-Chicago and DePaul, then lost to Rider on Friday night in New Jersey before trekking to Hartford for Saturday’s noon start local time against the Huskies.
–Field Level Media
