HARTFORD - UConn wrapped up its exhibition schedule the right way Tuesday night, rolling past Purdue 76-53 at PeoplesBank Arena behind a balanced offensive night and another punishing defensive performance.
The No. 4 Huskies finished the preseason 3-0, adding the Boilermakers to earlier wins over Syracuse and Michigan State. Over those three games, UConn outscored its opponents by 17.0 points per game, while holding them to 34.4 percent shooting overall and 14.1 percent from 3-point range.
Against Purdue, Colben Landrew powered the box score with 15 points in just 18 minutes off the bench, going 6-of-10 from the field. Jayden Ross followed with 13 points, 11 of them in the first half.
Oskar Giltay added 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting in 21 minutes as a reserve, and Silas Demary Jr. finished with 10 points, five assists and four steals. Nik Khamenia nearly posted a double-double with eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
UConn’s defense made life miserable for Purdue all night. The Boilermakers shot 20-of-61 from the floor, which works out to 32.8 percent, and just 2-of-25 from 3-point range.
Purdue came out with the first four points, but Ross answered with a corner 3-pointer to get UConn going. He drilled another from the wing moments later to put the Huskies ahead 6-5, and that early burst kicked off a long run. Landrew later connected with Ross on an alley-oop, and after that play Purdue had to take a timeout with UConn up 14-7.
That surge became a 16-2 stretch, and the Huskies stretched the margin to 19-7 midway through the half. Later, Demary Jr. came up with a steal and score before Na'jai Hines finished inside, closing an 8-0 run that pushed the lead to 31-13 with 3:28 left in the first. UConn carried a 35-20 advantage into halftime, with Ross leading all scorers at the break with 11 points.
Purdue trimmed the margin to 10 early in the second half with a 7-0 run, but UConn answered quickly. Demary Jr. completed a three-point play around a timeout at 15:57, restoring a 40-27 lead. Then Landrew buried a 3-pointer at 14:04 to finish off an 8-0 spurt and force another Purdue timeout with the Huskies ahead 47-28.
Landrew kept it rolling with five straight points, and UConn moved in front 53-31 with 11:18 remaining. From there, the final question was the size of the cushion. The Huskies eventually led by as many as 30 before closing out the 23-point win.
UConn also controlled the little things. The Huskies shot 25-of-58 from the field and 6-of-21 from deep, won the rebounding battle by six, turned 15 offensive rebounds into a 17-14 edge in second-chance points, and outscored Purdue 17-5 in transition. They also held a 29-17 advantage in bench points, a 38-24 edge in the paint and turned a plus-5 turnover margin into an 18-11 scoring edge off miscues.
The Huskies finished with 18 assists on 25 baskets and committed 11 turnovers.
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UConn now turns to Gardner-Webb to start the regular season, and the real test will come quickly with a demanding non-conference schedule waiting after that. For a team trying to establish itself early, the defense has given Huskies fans something tangible to latch onto, even if the deeper questions about how far that edge can carry them will have to wait for the games that matter most. [Read more 🡒]