- Joined
- Aug 28, 2011
- Messages
- 16
- Reaction Score
- 99
Revisiting the classic game between our Huskies and the UMass Minutemen on December 10, 2002. UConn was #9 in the country, averaging 89 ppg in 5 games to start the season. I was living in Hawaii in the pre-streaming age, so other than national games, my gameday experience was internet radio (over a dial-up maui.net connection) and the Boneyard chatroom.
The first half is wild. Marcus Cox (transferred to UMass) booed every time he touches the ball. Several egregious charge calls. Tony Robertson playing with the flu. Emeka sent to the bench with two fouls with 9:02 remaining the first half. UMass was up 9-5 at that point with 10:58 of game played. JC was pulling every lever he had. Freshman Rashad Anderson (averaging 2.0 ppg) was in. Justin Brown was in. Hilton Armstrong was in. Toolzy! Chad-Wise-Er made an appearance an immediately jacked up a shot. Then he was out.
Steve Lappas had UMass in a triangle-and-two, playing a slowdown game, and it was working. The good guys headed to the HCC locker room down 30-9 at the half. 9 points scored in 20 minutes. Against UMass. Fewest ever in a half under Calhoun.
UMass came out in the second half with a bucket. Mike Hayes is fouled but goes 0-2 at the line. UMass scores again. It's 34-9. WTF. Tony Robertson injects a little life. 34-13 with 15:40 to go. Jake Voskuhl (now with the Phoenix Suns) in the building! And that's 3 fouls on Tony. Rashad back in... immediately hits a 3. 34-16 14:51. He has 8 points, half of UConn's total.
Jimmy gets T'd up by John Cahill. I don't miss that guy. Jim Burr is also on the whistle, looking so young... memories.
Anderson from 3 again! 36-19 13:43. Steal by TB and BG for 3! 36-22 13:01. Lappas calls timeout and the first U-C-O-N-N cheer is clear as day over the broadcast.
BG with another 3! A 16-2 run! 36-25 11:20 to go. Denham with a 3! 36-25 11:12. DB again! 36-31 9:35. 22-2 run. "Once scored 111 points in a high school game. What's the exchange rate?" Let's go! 10 second violation on UMass! U-C-O-N-N!
Anderson again! 36-34 9:00 remaining. BG steal and he's fouled on the dunk attempt. 90% FT shooter hits them both and we're tied for the first time since 0-0. 36-36 7:33 remaining. 7 Husky 3PFG in the 2nd half.
Mek block! That's his fourth this game! Mek from the right block! His first basket of the night! FORT THE EAD! @RichZ chatroom excitement enters Boneyard lore, and UConn is up 38-36 with 6:32 to go! They've scored 22 unanswered points!
The game stays nip-and-tuck from there, still 46-44 with 2:34 remaining. Then BG dribbles into a 3... 49-44 2:11. UMass is forced to foul to stop the clock
Huskies go on to win 59-48, outscoring UMass 50-18 in the second half. It felt so good to see all of those young faces.
Rashad scores 16 points in 20 minutes and the legend is born.
Ben with a quiet 18. Mek with just 4 points, but 13 rebounds and 5 blocks.
Denham with 11 points in 19 minutes.
Chad Wise 0-1 in 1 minute.
Marcus White DNP, but we know what George Blaney has in store later on this season!
It truly is amazing how poor the video quality was back then. 23 years later I still recognize all these players by the movement of fuzzy pixels on the court. Taliek. Ben. Mek. Denham. Rashad. Grateful for uconnhuskygames.com. Grateful to be a Husky fan!
The first half is wild. Marcus Cox (transferred to UMass) booed every time he touches the ball. Several egregious charge calls. Tony Robertson playing with the flu. Emeka sent to the bench with two fouls with 9:02 remaining the first half. UMass was up 9-5 at that point with 10:58 of game played. JC was pulling every lever he had. Freshman Rashad Anderson (averaging 2.0 ppg) was in. Justin Brown was in. Hilton Armstrong was in. Toolzy! Chad-Wise-Er made an appearance an immediately jacked up a shot. Then he was out.
Steve Lappas had UMass in a triangle-and-two, playing a slowdown game, and it was working. The good guys headed to the HCC locker room down 30-9 at the half. 9 points scored in 20 minutes. Against UMass. Fewest ever in a half under Calhoun.
UMass came out in the second half with a bucket. Mike Hayes is fouled but goes 0-2 at the line. UMass scores again. It's 34-9. WTF. Tony Robertson injects a little life. 34-13 with 15:40 to go. Jake Voskuhl (now with the Phoenix Suns) in the building! And that's 3 fouls on Tony. Rashad back in... immediately hits a 3. 34-16 14:51. He has 8 points, half of UConn's total.
Jimmy gets T'd up by John Cahill. I don't miss that guy. Jim Burr is also on the whistle, looking so young... memories.
Anderson from 3 again! 36-19 13:43. Steal by TB and BG for 3! 36-22 13:01. Lappas calls timeout and the first U-C-O-N-N cheer is clear as day over the broadcast.
BG with another 3! A 16-2 run! 36-25 11:20 to go. Denham with a 3! 36-25 11:12. DB again! 36-31 9:35. 22-2 run. "Once scored 111 points in a high school game. What's the exchange rate?" Let's go! 10 second violation on UMass! U-C-O-N-N!
Anderson again! 36-34 9:00 remaining. BG steal and he's fouled on the dunk attempt. 90% FT shooter hits them both and we're tied for the first time since 0-0. 36-36 7:33 remaining. 7 Husky 3PFG in the 2nd half.
Mek block! That's his fourth this game! Mek from the right block! His first basket of the night! FORT THE EAD! @RichZ chatroom excitement enters Boneyard lore, and UConn is up 38-36 with 6:32 to go! They've scored 22 unanswered points!
The game stays nip-and-tuck from there, still 46-44 with 2:34 remaining. Then BG dribbles into a 3... 49-44 2:11. UMass is forced to foul to stop the clock
Huskies go on to win 59-48, outscoring UMass 50-18 in the second half. It felt so good to see all of those young faces.
Rashad scores 16 points in 20 minutes and the legend is born.
Ben with a quiet 18. Mek with just 4 points, but 13 rebounds and 5 blocks.
Denham with 11 points in 19 minutes.
Chad Wise 0-1 in 1 minute.
Marcus White DNP, but we know what George Blaney has in store later on this season!
It truly is amazing how poor the video quality was back then. 23 years later I still recognize all these players by the movement of fuzzy pixels on the court. Taliek. Ben. Mek. Denham. Rashad. Grateful for uconnhuskygames.com. Grateful to be a Husky fan!
