Armstrong Strong Arms Double-Double
To Lead No. 4 Huskies To 70-59 Win Over Cincinnati
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Box Score [html]
HARTFORD, Conn.
(January 9, 2006) – Senior center Hilton Armstrong (Peekskill, N.Y.)
recorded his third double-double in his last five games to lead three teammates
in double figure scoring as fourth-ranked Connecticut outlasted 25th-ranked
Cincinnati, 70-59, before a sellout crowd of 16,294 at the Hartford Civic
Center.
The win evens the
Huskies’ league record at 1-1, while sending their overall mark to 13-1. The
Bearcats slip to 13-3, 2-1 in BIG EAST play.
The contest was
tied at 44 with 15:47 remaining after Cincinnati’s James White connected on a
three-pointer. Freshman Jeff Adrien (Brookline, Mass.) made two free
throws and Armstrong made back-to-back baskets to give the Huskies a lead they
would never relinquish. After White answered for the Bearcats, Adrien dunked
off of a pretty pass from fellow freshman Craig Austrie (Stamford, Conn.)
to put the Huskies back up eight at 54-46. Austrie converted a steal into a
fast break lay-up and Armstrong made a jumper in the paint and UConn led 56-46,
with 9:42 to play. Cincinnati got no closer than six the rest of the way.
After the Bearcats had inched to within 65-59, Marcus Williams (Los
Angeles, Calif.) drilled a three-pointer and finished the scoring with two free
throws.
Armstrong finished
with 14 points and a team-best 10 rebounds, to go along with six of UConn’s 11
blocks. Also in double digits for the Huskies were Rudy Gay (Baltimore,
Md.), Denham Brown (Toronto, Ont.) and Williams, who all scored 11
points. The Huskies struggled from the field for the third consecutive contest
(37 percent shooting), but dominated the battle of the backboards,
out-rebounding Cincinnati, 52-32. Gay supported Armstrong with nine caroms.
UConn also enjoyed a 34-16 advantage in points in the paint.
Both Connecticut
point guards played well as Williams added seven assists and six rebounds, while
Austrie had five assists against just one turnover.
White led
Cincinnati with 18 points and Armein Kirkland had 14 first-half points before
injuring his knee, not to return. Eric Hicks had 14 points and a game-high 11
rebounds for Cincinnati.
UConn will return
to action on Saturday, Jan. 14, when they welcome league foe Georgetown to the
Civic Center. Game time is set for noon and the contest will be televised by
WB-20.
POSTGAME QUOTES
UConn Head
Coach Jim Calhoun
"First thing, I
hope the Kirkland kid is alright. I know the early diagnosis is that he did
something to his knee and that’s unfortunate. He was playing very, very well.
How much he would have changed the game, that’s supposition. But he certainly
was playing exceptionally well in the first half…I guess if you look forward it
could have made the game difficult, but games go and games flow and sometimes
guys get in foul trouble, things happen. But I really feel bad."
"They’re a very
good basketball team, and I do hope that Kirkland can come back, for him,
personally, and certainly for their team. They’re a good basketball team."
"I’ve watched them
on tape, probably, as much as anybody because of their physicality, and we
thought we would get cremated on the boards, to be quite honest with you. And
that’s the only thing we really emphasized. Unfortunately, we forgot about
passing, but hopefully that will happen another day."
"Tonight, I thought
we had tremendous advantages with our size."
On Hilton
Armstrong
"I think that’s his
fourth or fifth consecutive great game – lively body, blocking shots, altering
shots, finishing plays….Hard work does pay off. It’s a wonderful story of what
he’s done over four years to become just a really, really terrific basketball
player for us, and our best inside threat."
"Our outside play
in the first half was about as poor a representation of what we want to do.
Eleven turnovers, and every time we get up five we threw it to one of you guys
on the sidelines, or wherever, I don’t know….Our kids need to be much better
focused."
"This is a very
good win for us over a very good Cincinnati basketball team who has really
impressed me."
"I think we did
good things, I just thought we were very poor offensively with the basketball."
"I think we need to
get Marcus in better shape. That’s just going to happen. He’s not there yet."
UConn's
Marcus Williams
On when he’ll be
back healthy from being sick
"I give it about a
week, by this time next week I should be fine."
On his five
second violation to 3pt shot combo
"I thought I broke
the 5 seconds when I came off of a pick but I guess he was still on my
shoulder…and they called the 5 seconds. As for the 3, I had a wide-open shot
and I took it."
On what keyed
the run
"Our fast break.
We tired them out, hit the glass, got out and got some easy buckets, executed
our offense. I don’t think they could keep up, physically, and they just tailed
off."
On Cincinnati
"Cincinnati is a
good team, they are coached well, they have talent."
UConn's
Hilton Armstrong
On your game
tonight
"It’s been about
confidence. My team has a lot of confidence in me and I’ve tried to produce for
them. I haven’t been as confident as I am now, but I’m loving it."
On Cincinnati
being a physical team
"We’re a physical
team too. And any team that tries to come at us, well, we’re not backing down
from anybody."
On your
improvement since your days in Peekskill
"I was nothing
compared to where I’m at now. I don’t even think I was a top 100 recruit…I feel
like a completely different player now. I have a lot more confidence than I did
when I first came here. Playing against Emeka, Shamon Tooles, and all the ‘bigs’,
I didn’t know what I got myself into. But sticking with it, having a coach like
Calhoun teaching me never to give up turned me into the player I am today. And
I have a lot more room to improve… When I first came my freshman year I think I
was just barely benching 100 pounds. Now I think I’m up to 250-260."
How have you
been so creating space for yourself underneath the basket?
"We go over that
everyday in practice. Justin Evanovich tells us to cut off space and get big."
 UConn's Rudy Gay
"We had to come in
here and play our game. We’ve been up in the country in rebounding. We just
have to come out here and keep doing that every single game. In the game
against Marquette we didn’t really do that. And I think that’s one of the key
reasons we lost. Today, we came out and played tough and came out with the
win."
On not getting
down early despite shooting poorly
"It was keeping
focused and staying with our offense, and also playing tough and getting
rebounds."
What did Coach
Calhoun tell you at halftime?
"At halftime, he
told us to play our game. We were kind of one pass then shot. That’s not our
game. We swing it and create shots for each other. We didn’t do that. So in
the second half we did that."
UConn's Craig
Austrie
On the win
"It was a must win
situation for us, it was a statement game for us so we know where we stand.
Every day in practice Coach Calhoun had on the board that we were 12th
in the BIG EAST and I think that really motivated us to play hard this game and
really gut this game out."
On how they
pulled out the win
"I feel like in the
second half the guys really concentrated and we came out with the win."
On his game
"If feel pretty
good about my game…there is always room for improvement…but I feel like this was
a good game for me."
On Hilton
Armstrong
"He really is the
backbone of this team, he really steps up in big situations for us, without him
this team wouldn’t be what it is."
UConn's
Denham Brown
On his role
"I have to insert
myself, and assert myself into the offense more and keep doing what I was doing
early in the season."
On rebound
margin
"Coach really
emphasized it a lot about us rebounding; I told Rudy when you get in the game
make sure we get to the rebound offense and defense. I know myself…going to
every rebound, boxing out, and things like that because they are a good
rebounding team. That’s the way we are, when we focus on something, when we
focus on the next team’s strength and we really put our minds to doing something
well then these are the things we are capable of."
On the offense
being a little herky-jerk
"With Marcus
(Williams) coming back into the flow of things that really helps and hurts the
offense at the same time…some guys are used to doing a lot more plays, getting a
lot more shots, so that is going to take away from their offense. It will take
time, we are one of the better teams in the country in late January, February
and March…but these are the things that we are looking to do…being herky-jerky
early in games…then come late January, Feb and March we are smooth as water."
Cincinnati
Head Coach Andy Kennedy
"Our guys have been
pretty resilient and they fought especially hard, but tonight we were stacked up
against some very difficult odds. Obviously, UConn’s back was against the wall
with their performance against Marquette – they needed a win in the Big East
and they certainly played that way."
"We have
opportunities and we just don’t capitalize on them."
"We’re getting
unbelievably courageous performances out of guys night in and night out. That’s
the reason we’re sitting here with 13 wins. Despite what you saw on our bench.
Did you see our bench? I mean, it comical."
"We were drawing up
things in the dirt just trying to fool them a little bit."
"I was disappointed
offensively."
"We just had to
pick our poison a little bit. This is a team with a Hall of Fame coach and a
lot of very good players."
On Kirkland’s
injury
"Be careful when
you say “what’s next.” It’s just been incredible, like a black cloud. I really
feel bad for the kid."
"You’re talking to
a guy who’s had five knee operations and has torn an ACL in both legs. I saw
the twist, it’s probably not good."
"But you keep going
on. I saw the Commissioner in there and he didn’t say “Andy, OK, we’re going to
cancel the rest of the games.” We go home and we regroup and we do what we have
to do. And I walk campus tomorrow looking for tall guys. I don’t know what
else to do."
"We have to
continue to fight, and hopefully at the end of the day be rewarded for that."
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