UConn’s exhibition opener had the feel of a team finding its footing early, then taking control the way Dan Hurley likes it best: with defense, rebounds, and enough depth to wear an opponent down.
The Huskies rolled past Syracuse 72-52 on Saturday at Mohegan Sun Arena, and they did it with a group effort that included 13 players seeing the floor. Every new UConn player got into the action, even though Braylon Mullins did not play.
Najai Hines sparked the offense off the bench and finished with a team-high 17 points. Silas Demary Jr. added 13, while fellow sophomore transfer Nik Khamenia scored 12. By the end of the night, UConn had turned a shaky opening stretch into a comfortable exhibition win over Gerry McNamara’s Orange.
The start was rough on both sides. Turnovers piled up, whistles came quickly, and clean looks were hard to find for long stretches in the first half. UConn’s first basket came from Khamenia, whose three-pointer tied the game at 4-4 with 15:21 left in the half and kicked off a 12-2 run that pushed the Huskies in front 13-6.
Syracuse answered with a 7-0 burst of its own to pull even at 13. Khamenia hit another three to restore the edge, and then Hines started making his presence felt at the line and around the rim. He scored on putbacks, finished an alley-oop from Ross, and grabbed six rebounds before halftime as UConn went to the break up 31-26.
The Huskies never needed to catch fire from the field to stay ahead. Their defense and work on the glass kept the pressure on Syracuse while the shots weren’t dropping at a high clip.
UConn began stretching the margin early in the second half. Colben Landrew got going, Hines kept scoring, and the lead quickly climbed to 11.
Landrew showed plenty in his first extended look, finishing with eight points and four rebounds while bringing size and strength to the floor. Demary Jr. also helped create separation by getting to the foul line, and Junior County provided a second-half boost by knocking down all three of his threes.
County finished with nine points and seven rebounds.
Hurley said after the game that he and McNamara would like to see this matchup carried into the regular season at some point, though he noted there are still details to work out.
Hurley also said he wanted to send Hines a message about consistency by bringing him off the bench for this one. The move worked, and the head coach came away encouraged by what he saw, especially on the defensive end.
UConn held Syracuse to 31% shooting and blocked four shots while controlling the boards for most of the night. The Huskies committed just two turnovers in the second half after seven in the first, and Syracuse finished with 16 turnovers overall. Those extra possessions and second-chance opportunities helped UConn lead for 32 of the 40 minutes.
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