IT’S UCONN AND IOWA FOR THE 2K EMPIRE CLASSIC TITLE

November 15, 2018

It will be UConn and Iowa playing for the championship of the 2K Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project on Friday at Madison Square Garden.

In the first game of the doubleheader, UConn led for all but 10 seconds in posting an 83-76 win over No. 15 Syracuse.

Alterique Gilbert and Jalen Adams led the Huskies with 16 points apiece with Gilbert posting six rebounds and eight assists and Adams (pictured) contributing eight rebounds and four assists. Tarin Smith had 14 points and six assists, Eric Cobb recorded a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Christian Vital had 11 points.

The Huskies controlled the inside game, outrebounding the Orange 46-32, including 33 defensive rebounds. The also scored 28 points in the paint.

Syracuse got a game-high 26 points along with seven rebounds from Jalen Carey. Tyus Battle scored 16 points and Elijah Hughes had 15 points.

In the nightcap, Iowa led from start to finish in posting a 77-69 win over No. 13 Oregon.

Jordan Bohannon paced the Hawkeyes with 16 points, primarily on a 9-of-10 effort from the line. Luka Garza scored 12 points, Ryan Kriener had 11 points, and Tyler Cook registered nine points and 10 rebounds.

Iowa was 29-of-33 from the foul line on the night, outscoring the Ducks by 12 points.

Oregon was led by Ehad Amin, who led all scorers with 25 points. Bol Bol had 14 points and Victor Bailey Jr. added 12 points.

The Orange and Ducks will tip things off on Friday at 4:30pm, followed by UConn-Iowa at 6:30pm. This pits two programs that met in the 1999 2K Empire Classic. In that game, Iowa beat then No. 1 UConn 70-68 as Jacob Jaacks scored 20 points to lead the Hawkeyes. Khalid El-Amin had 26 for the Huskies.

Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com