Nov. 21, 2008
-From AP reports and La Salle Athletic Communications
CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) -Second-ranked Connecticut stayed unbeaten with a hard-fought 89-81 victory over La Salle at the Paradise Jam on Friday night.
After missing a game with an ankle injury, guard A.J. Price played 32 minutes, and had 12 points and four assists. His ankle seemed fine - but his jaw was swollen from an abscessed tooth that was causing him pain.
The unanimous All-Big East first-team selection last season got a lot of help from Kemba Walker, who scored a team-high 23 points, and Jeff Adrien, who added 22 and grabbed 14 rebounds to help Connecticut (3-0) get past a tough La Salle team.
Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun had nothing but good things to say about Price, who said he was getting his tooth drained on Saturday.
"He played in an awful lot of pain. But I liked the way he played, liked the way he pushed the game," Calhoun said of Price, who did not play in UCONN's 99-56 win over Hartford on Monday after hurting his ankle in the season-opening 81-55 victory over Western Carolina.
La Salle also pushed the game and did not give the Huskies an easy time as the Explorers shot 50 percent from the field.
"We gave up 50 percent twice last year. We gave it up tonight," Calhoun said. "It was just too easy for them."
But he stressed that La Salle (1-2) was a "hard matchup" and said playing an effective zone was what helped put the Huskies over the top.
La Salle took control in the opening minutes, but trailed 46-40 at halftime with help from Adrien's 13 first-half points and Walker's nine.
"Our team is tough. We don't give up," Walker said.
Although La Salle pushed the score within three late in the second half, the Huskies never backed down and led by as much as 10 points in the final minute.
But the Explorers ran the Huskies ragged, scoring 12 points on fast breaks and knocking bodies around for loose balls and rebounds.
Rodney Green had a game-high 25 points for La Salle, which ties his career high set on Dec. 16, 2006, against Central Connecticut State. In addition to Green, three more Explorers scored in double figures as Ruben Guillandeaux and Yves Mekongo Mbala each had 13 points and Vernon Goodridge chipped in 12.
La Salle coach John Giannini said he was mostly pleased with his team's energetic effort against the No. 2 Huskies.
"We played very hard against an outstanding team. We gave them something to be concerned about and pushed them pretty hard," Giannini said.
Both teams struggled with 3-pointers. The Huskies attempted 10 shots from behind the arc, making two, while the Explorers tried 13 and hit four.
The Huskies will take on No. 17 Miami in the second round on Sunday. La Salle will play Southern Mississippi.
