Boston College Athletics
Boston College
Connecticut (Big East First Round)
No. 21 UConn Shoots Down Men's Hoops 70-55
March 08, 2000 | Men's Basketball
March 8, 2000
Postgame Audio
By HAL BOCK
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK (AP) - Connecticut opened defense of its Big East Tournament championship with a 70-55 thumping Wednesday of Boston College.
Jake Voskuhl led the Huskies with 16 points and 11 rebounds while Kevin Freeman had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Khalid El-Amin scored 14 points and Albert Mouring added 12.
UConn outrebounded the undermanned Eagles 46-26.
The No. 21 Huskies, national champions a year ago and winners of their last two conference tournaments and three of the last four, dominated after a slow start and BC could not overcome long scoring droughts.
BC, playing without injured Big East Rookie of the Year Troy Bell, simply could not keep up with the deeper Huskies. Kenny Walls led the Eagles with 13 points while Michael Cotton scored 11 and Kenny Harley 10.
The victory was UConn's 23rd straight against BC, a streak that ties the Big East Conference record of 23 straight set by Syracuse against Seton Hall from 1982-92. Then Huskies have not lost to the Eagles since the 1987-88 season.
BC opened fast and led 14-6 following consecutive 3-pointers by Xavier Singletary. But then the Eagles went scoreless for nearly eight minutes and UConn shot in front with a run of 12 points.
UConn led 31-25 at the half and then after Walls narrowed BC's deficit to four points with the first basket of the second half, the Huskies, led by Voskuhl and El-Amin, went on another run of 18-4 to put the game away. Voskuhl had six points and El-Amin five as UConn spurted to an 18-point lead.
The victory moved UConn into Thursday's quarterfinals of the Big East tournament.
