Tristen Newton poured in 22 points as all five starters scored in double figures to propel No. 6 UConn to a 107-67 victory over Stonehill on Saturday afternoon in Hartford, Conn.
Newton made 7 of 11 shots from the field and finished with seven rebounds and five steals for the Huskies (2-0), who have started their national title defense with back-to-back victories.
Stephon Castle supplied 17 points and eight boards, while Donovan Clingan (16 points), Alex Karaban (15) and Cam Spencer (12) rounded out the starting five.
UConn made up for a poor performance from beyond the arc (10-for-31) by sinking 21 of 23 free-throw attempts.
Stonehill’s Jackson Benigni, an East Hampton, Conn., native, gave family and friends something for which to cheer after sharing game-high honors with 22 points on 9-for-14 shooting. Chas Stinson chipped in 10 points, but the Skyhawks (1-2) did not receive more than eight points from anyone else.
Stonehill struggled on the glass and was hampered by poor ball security, getting outrebounded 42-26 while committing 21 turnovers.
The Huskies extinguished any chance of a comeback in the opening 7:05 of the second half, using an extended 26-4 surge to open up a 44-point lead at 78-34.
Newton and Castle each had six points during the run.
That would be the largest deficit Stonehill faced, but it never managed to bring said deficit under 31 points.
UConn pounced on the Skyhawks immediately, scoring the first 12 points of the game before building a 22-6 advantage when Samson Johnson threw down a dunk with 12:46 left in the first half.
Shane O’Dell made a pair of layups to help Stonehill pull within 15, but the Huskies answered with eight unanswered points, including four from Karaban, to make it a 23-point game.
The Skyhawks trailed by at least 18 for the remainder of the first half, and UConn went into the break up 52-30. Newton and Clingan nearly outscored Stonehill by themselves through the first 20 minutes of action, combining for 26 points.
–Field Level Media