Boxscore
Photo Gallery
HARTFORD, Conn. – Junior guard Lexi Allen (Southbury, Conn.) finished with 19 points in her first action after missing all of 2006-07 with an injury, but the defending national champion and No. 2 nationally ranked Southern Connecticut State University women's basketball team was defeated by Division I No. 2 Connecticut 119-58 in an exhibition contest at the Hartford Civic Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Tuesday night. Tina Charles finished one rebound shy of a double-double, with 24 points and nine rebounds, for Connecticut.
Connecticut wasted no time getting things started after winning the opening tip. The Huskies scored the game's first 10 points en route to a 15-2 run in the opening 3:31 of the stanza, highlighted by five points from Mel Thomas. SCSU enjoyed its most successful portion of the first half between the second and third media timeouts. SCSU scored seven of the game's 17 points over a span of just under four minutes. Later, Connecticut put together a 7-1 run over the final 2:43 of the half to take a 71-32 lead into the lockerroom.
Thomas led all scorers with 15 first half points, including a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range. Tina Charles joined Thomas in double-figures for Connecticut with 12 first half points of her own.
Allen led SCSU in the first half by shooting 5-for-7 from the floor, including 2-for-3 from behind the arc, to tally 12 points in the opening stanza. Senior forward Kate Lynch (Rumford, R.I.) connected on two of five three-point attempts and added a pair of free throws to rack up eight points in the first half.
Once again, Connecticut opened the second half on a run, this time of the 12-3 variety over the opening 4:33 of the stanza. Between the first and second media timeouts of the half, SCSU would put together a 12-10 run over a four-minute stretch, highlighted by six points from Allen, and including a 6-0 run at one point. Connecticut would outscore SCSU 48-26 in the second half to create the 119-58 final score.
Connecticut's Maya Moore and Charles led all scorers in the second half with 12 points. Moore finished with 20 points for the game and was bettered only by Charles' game-high 24. Also scoring in double-figures for Connecticut was Ketia Swanier with 11 points.
For SCSU, Lynch led the way in the second half with eight points, equaling her first half output to finish with 16. Allen poured home seven points in the second half and led the Owls for the game with 19 while playing the entire game. Also finishing in double-figures for SCSU was sophomore forward
Jacqueline Johannes (Southbury, Conn.) with 10 points. Johannes also led the Owls on the boards with seven rebounds.
For the game, Connecticut shot 67.4% from the floor (31-for-46), while SCSU finished at 37.0% (10-for-27). The Huskies connected on two-thirds of their three-point attempts (4-for-6) and the Owls hit half of theirs (6-for-12). At the free throw line, SCSU held the edge, 66.7% (6-for-9) to 50.0% (5-for-10).
The Owls return to the court on Nov. 17 when they open regular season play by hosting St. Anselm. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Moore Fieldhouse in New Haven, Conn.
