Cam Spencer scored 20 points and Alex Karaban had 17 points and seven rebounds to help No. 5 UConn rout visiting DePaul 85-56 on Tuesday in Storrs, Conn.
UConn (12-2, 2-1 Big East) led by as many as 32 points while shooting 58.2 percent compared to 35.7 percent for DePaul. Stephon Castle added 14 points for the Huskies and dished seven assists to match Tristen Newton for the game high. Hassan Diarra chipped in 14 points.
Da’Sean Nelson paced the Blue Demons with 19 points. Elijah Fisher scored 17 points to go with five rebounds.
DePaul (3-10, 0-2) lost its 15th straight conference game. The Blue Demons were outrebounded 35-26 while going 2 for 13 from beyond the 3-point arc.
UConn went 12 for 26 from deep, swishing at least 10 treys for the fourth time this season. Spencer led the way with four, one more than Diarra and Karaban.
DePaul was limited to its third-lowest scoring output of the season.
Both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm. Benefiting from early foul trouble for Newton and fellow Huskies starter Samson Johnson, who played 19 combined first-half minutes, the Blue Demons took an 11-10 led on Jaden Henley’s layup with 9:32 to go before the break.
UConn recovered to score nine straight points over a span of 1:38 as part of a 28-8 run to close the half. The Huskies led 38-19 at intermission on the strength of 60 percent shooting and a 12-point, six-rebound effort from Karaban. Spencer chipped in nine points.
Fisher paced DePaul with eight points at the half, but the rest of the Blue Demons shot a combined 5 for 24 from the field.
Johnson finished with eight points and four blocks.
UConn continued its longstanding dominance over DePaul, winning for the 16th straight time and 17th time in 18 matchups. The Blue Demons’ lone victory in the series came on their home floor in January 2007.
The Huskies committed 12 turnovers. The Blue Demons had 10.
–Field Level Media
