Spokesman-Review
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Connecticut 67, Rutgers 53
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Where: XL Center, Hartford, Connecticut
Officials: # James Breeding, # John Cahill, # Karl Hess
Attendance: 12527

Kemba Walker finished with 18 points and Alex Oriakhi added 17 points and 12 rebounds as No. 9 Connecticut pulled away from Rutgers, 67-53, on Tuesday.

Jamal Coombs-McDaniel hit a pair of 3-pointers and ended with nine points for the Huskies (13-2, 2-2 Big East), who held the Scarlet Knights to 34.5 percent shooting in the contest.

Rutgers came out strong in the first half and held a 23-21 edge with less than four minutes left when Connecticut began to make a run. Walker and Coombs-McDaniel each hit a 3-pointer and Oriakhi had four points as the Huskies ended the opening period on an 11-4 run to take a five-point lead at the break.

Connecticut broke away at the beginning of the second, bursting out of the locker room with a 20-2 spurt to take control. Walker and Roscoe Smith scored six apiece during the run as the Scarlet Knights shot 1 of 12 from the floor.

The Huskies travel to DePaul this weekend before returning home for a showdown with No. 7 Villanova. Rutgers (10-6, 1-3) doesn’t get any breaks with No. 19 Georgetown next on the schedule.
Top Game Performances
 
Rutgers   Connecticut
Mike Poole 11 Scoring Kemba Walker 18
Mike Coburn 2 Assists Shabazz Napier 7
Mike Poole 10 Rebounds Alex Oriakhi 12
Gilvydas Biruta 4 Free Throws Made Alex Oriakhi 3
Jonathan Mitchell 2 Steals Shabazz Napier 3
Robert Lumpkins 2 Blocks Alex Oriakhi 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Rutgers 53 34.5 3-17 10-14 8 33 5 6
Connecticut 67 45.6 6-20 9-14 14 32 6 5