MENS BASKETBALL

Connecticut 84, New Hampshire 64

By PAT EATON-ROBB
Associated Press

STORRS, Conn. - Donovan Clingan scored a career-high 29 points and No. 4 UConn beat New Hampshire 84-64 to set a record with its 24th consecutive victory over a nonconference opponent by double digits.

The 7-foot-2 sophomore hit 12 of his 13 shots from the floor for the Huskies (7-0), who broke a record held by North Carolina, which had 23 consecutive double-digit wins over nonconference opponents in 2008 and 2009.

The Huskies will take their streak into Lawrence, Kansas to face the fifth-ranked Jayhawks.

Cam Spencer and Tristen Newton each scored 17 points and Newtown also pulled down 10 rebounds for Connecticut, which outscored New Hampshire 52-8 in the paint.

Jaxson Baker had 15 of his 20 points in the first half for New Hampshire (4-3). Ahmad Robinson and Clarence Daniels each added 19 points.

Spencer, a Rutgers transfer, hit two early 3-pointers to reach 200 for his career, and UConn used a 16-0 run to take a 24-8 lead midway through the first half.

Baker tried to keep New Hampshire close, hitting five of his first six shots from behind the arc. But the Wildcats had no answer for UConn’s size underneath.

Clingan had 16 points in the first 20 minutes and the Huskies led 45-30 at intermission.

Clingan, who hit his first 10 shots, scored the first four points of the second half and UConn led by as many as 28 points in the second half.

The Wildcats won their first 10 games in the series with Connecticut, but are 15-95 since and have not beaten UConn since 1983.

BIG PICTURE

New Hampshire: The Wildcats came in averaging 10 3-pointer a game. They were 13 of 27 from behind the arc.

UConn: The Huskies' nonconference schedule gets much tougher in the coming weeks with games against No. 5 Kansas, No. 17 North Carolina and No. 11 Gonzaga in December.

November 27, 2023