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Providence Upends No. 19 UConn, 81-66
Providence, RI (Sports Network) - Jamine Peterson had 23 points and 14 rebounds, as Providence pulled away for an 81-66 victory over 19th-ranked Connecticut.
The Huskies (13-7, 3-4 Big East) had taken down then top-ranked Texas on Saturday but struggled to score down the stretch in falling to the Friars (12-8, 4-4).
Sharaud Curry added 18 points for Providence, which snapped a two-game slide in facing its first ranked opponent of the season. Bilal Dixon had 11 points and 12 boards in the victory.
Gavin Edwards and Kemba Walker each scored 17 for the Huskies, who had won their last two under interim head coach George Blaney; head coach Jim Calhoun missed his third straight game Wednesday after taking a medical leave of absence. Walker also recorded eight rebounds and seven assists. Stanley Robinson and Jerome Dyson had 14 and 12 points, respectively, in the loss.
With the Huskies leading by three past the midway point of the second half, Providence took control with a 14-0 run. Connecticut didn’t score for more than five minutes as the Friars deposited shot after shot.
Peterson sank a layup after pump-faking in traffic, which put Providence up seven and forced Connecticut to call a timeout with 5:42 left. But the Huskies couldn’t get a basket to fall, and Curry sank a layup on the Friars’ next touch before Peterson dunked to end the run for a 69-58 lead with 4 1/2 minutes to go.
The Huskies never recovered, as the Friars held a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
UConn led early, at times by double digits, and was still up 10 when Jamal Coombs-McDaniel sank a three for a 29-19 advantage with 7 1/2 minutes to play in the first half.
But Providence responded with a 12-2 run to even the game. Peterson had two baskets in the stretch, including a tip-in that ended it to make it a 31-31 game. The Friars took a 36-35 edge into the break.
It was a close game in the second half, in which the teams swapped leads a couple times. Providence went up 51-44 on a Curry jumper with a little over 13 minutes to go, but UConn followed with the next five points, and later used an eight-point burst to go in front.
Robinson ended the run with a pair of baskets to give the Huskies a 58-55 edge with under 10 minutes left.
Providence's last win over UConn came on March 6, 2008...Providence made 16- of-21 from the free throw line, while the Huskies sank 14-of-19...Connecticut had 19 turnovers...Duke Mondy scored 10 points for the Friars.
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