STORRS, Connecticut -- Jeff Adrien hasn't shied away
from a leadership role.
Adrien scored 12 of his 18 points in a decisive second-half
run, leading No. 10 Connecticut to an 81-53 victory over
Northeastern.
With the Huskies (8-0) having lost their top six scorers from
last season, including four first-round draft picks, Adrien has
assumed the burden of go-to guy on the freshmen-laden squad and
responded to the challenge.
The 6-7 sophomore also grabbed 12 rebounds for his fifth
double-double of the season. He scored 14 points in the second
half on 6-of-7 shooting as the Huskies pulled away from
Northeastern, the school UConn hired coach Jim Calhoun away from
in 1986.
With UConn leading, 40-32, at halftime, Adrien scored 12 points
in a 14-4 run to push the advantage to 54-36 with 11:21 to play.
Freshman Doug Wiggins scored eight points in a span of 2:34 as
the margin swelled to 66-39 with 7:28 to play. Wiggins finished
with 14 points and A.J. Price added 13 as the Huskies shot 48
percent (29-of-61).
Bennet Davis scored 14 points and Matt Janning added 13 for
Northeastern (2-6), which lost for the third time to a Big East
for this season, having already fallen to Pittsburgh and
Syracuse.