UConn holds off Boston University 51-49 for first home win

By  PAT EATON-ROBB
Updated 2:40 AM UTC, December 1, 2016
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HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Freshman Christian Vital scored 13 points and UConn held off Boston University 51-49 on Wednesday night.

Kentan Facey added eight points and seven rebounds for the Huskies (3-4), who picked up their first home win, despite shooting just 32 percent from the field.

UConn led for more than 27 minutes, but never by more than eight points.

A free throw by Jalen Adams made it 51-48 with three seconds left and UConn fouled Terrier’s guard Kyle Foreman in the backcourt with just under two seconds left to prevent the Terriers from attempting a 3-pointer. He missed his second free throw on purpose, but Facey was able to pull down the rebound.

The teams combined to hit just 14 of the 54 shots taken in the first half and UConn led 21-17 going into the break.

BU hasn’t beaten the Huskies since 1986. UConn leads the series 43-12.

THE BIG PICTURE

UConn: The Huskies dressed just eight scholarship players and will be short-handed the rest of the season. The team announced Tuesday that freshman point guard Alterique Gilbert will undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder and will miss the rest of the season and freshman forward Mamadou Diarra will redshirt this season to undergo treatment for a painful knee condition known as patellofemoral syndrome. UConn already had lost starting swingman Terry Larrier, who tore the ACL his left knee in the Huskies’ loss to Oklahoma State in Hawaii on Nov. 21.

Boston University: BU showed it will struggle when it can’t hit from behind the arc. The Terriers came into the game making an average of more than nine 3-pointers per game. They were shooting more than 26 3-pointers a game and were making almost 36 percent of those. While UConn dresses just eight scholarship players, the Terriers have had 11 players reach double figures this season. They have a streak of 628 games with at least one made 3-pointer.

UP NEXT

UConn: The Huskies travel to Madison Square Garden on Monday to face an old nemesis in No. 22 Syracuse before visiting Ohio State.

BU: The Terriers visit North Carolina State on Saturday, before returning home for a game against Canisius.

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More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25.