UConnโ Men’s Basketball Defeats Michigan state 76-69 inโ Exhibition Game
STORRS, Conn. – The UConn men’s basketball team secured a 76-69โ victory over Michigan Stateโข in an exhibition game onโข Monday, showcasing a promising performance despite significant โฃfoul trouble andโ the absence of their starting center. โThe Huskies built a lead in the first half โand maintained itโ through a second half marked by aโค high volume ofโ whistles.
Despite the exhibition status, the game was notable for its physicality, resulting in a combined 77 fouls called throughout the contest. Michigan State was awarded 38 free throws inโข the first half alone, with โฃ17 of their 33 first-half points โcoming from the line. UConn overcame this challenge, leading by 11โ at halftime.
The second half saw โฃcontinued foul calls,โข with 10 total fouls assessed before the first media timeout.UConn utilized a small-ball lineup โฃfeaturing Karaban,Stewart,and Koroma at the five position due to foul trouble,and Demary Jr. demonstrated smooth offensive play. Back-to-back three-pointers from Ross and Smith,followed by a triple from Karaban,fueled โฃan 11-0 run that extended UConn’sโ lead.
Michigan State managed to cut the โคdeficit toโค nine points, but key playsโ from Ball and Ross helped UConnโข regain control. The Huskies closed out โฃthe game despite some late sloppiness.
UConn demonstrated resilience and adaptability inโข the face of adversity, offering a positiveโ outlook as they prepare for the start of the regular season.The team will next host New Haven in Gampel Pavilion next Monday.