Price Nets 24 as UConn Defeats Buffalo 82-57
Robinson grabs 13 rebounds

box score

STORRS, CT - A.J. Price (Amityville, N.Y.) scored a career-high 24 points and Stanley Robinson (Birmingham, Ala.) was a force on both ends of the court as the University of Connecticut men's basketball team earned an 82-57 victory over Buffalo in the 2007 2K Sports College Hoops Classic at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. The contest was played before a crowd of 9,740.

The Huskies are now 2-0 on the season, while the Bulls drop to 1-1.

Buffalo had a 24-19 lead with 8:34 to play in the first half before the Huskies seized control of the game. Over the next 4:29, Connecticut scored 17 consecutive points as Price made two three-pointers and Doug Wiggins (East Hartford, Conn.) scored five points. The Huskies had a 12-point lead and the Bulls could not get the deficit into single figures again.

Price, who was named the Storrs Regional Most Valuable Player, eclipsed his previous career-best in scoring, set last season against Mississippi. He made six-of-10 field goal attempts, including two-of-four from three-point range. He also made 10-of-12 from the foul line. Robinson, who struggled in the Huskies’ first game against Morgan State, scored 10 points and registered career-high totals with 13 rebounds and six blocked shots.

Also in double-figures for Connecticut were Jerome Dyson (Rockville, Md.), who scored 12 points and Jeff Adrien (Brookline, Mass.), who scored 11. Dyson saw limited playing time for the second consecutive game due to foul trouble, while Adrien tied his career-high with five assists. Curtis Kelly (Bronx, N.Y.) added nine points in his second consecutive solid game off of the UConn bench.

Greg Gamble led Buffalo with 13 points and seven rebounds.

The Huskies, who led the nation in field goal percentage defense in 2006-07, have started this season in much the same manner. After holding Morgan State to 35.2 percent shooting in the opener, the Bulls could only connect on 33.3 percent (23-of-69) of their field goal attempts.

The Huskies now advance to the semifinals of the tournament where they will play Gardner-Webb at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, Nov. 15. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. and the contest will be broadcast-nationally by espn2. In a scheduling oddity, Connecticut and Gardner-Webb will play another regular season contest at the Hartford Civic Center on Tuesday, November 20.