National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Connecticut 72, Tennessee 61
When: 2:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 22, 2011
Where: XL Center, Hartford, Connecticut
Officials: # John Cahill, # Mike Roberts, # Michael Stephens
Attendance: 16294

UConn showed it can win big games even when star Kemba Walker doesn't have a big game.

Walker was held to a season-low 16 points on 6-of-17 shooting, but had seven assists as the eighth-ranked Huskies held off Tennessee 72-61 in Hartford on Saturday.

Alex Oriakhi chipped in 12 points and 10 rebounds and Jeremy Lamb scored 16 for the Huskies (16-2), who dive straight back into Big East play next week at Marquette before hosting No. 15 Louisville and No. 3 Syracuse.

The Volunteers took the lead early in the first half, using a 15-6 burst to go up by eight points. Tennessee held Walker scoreless for almost 15 minutes before the Connecticut star got going. He scored eight points over the last 5:23 to spark a 15-7 run. Walker’s 3-pointer at the buzzer gave the Huskies a 32-31 lead at the break.

Tennessee (12-7) tied it twice early in the second half and was within 52-51 after Melvin Goins knocked down a jumper with 8:37 remaining. But Connecticut went to work on the defensive end after that, holding the Volunteers to one field goal over the next 5:31 and using a 14-3 spurt that bumped the lead to 12 points.

Tennessee will say goodbye to coach Bruce Pearl again, after he was given a one-game reprieve from his eight-game SEC suspension. He is scheduled to return when the Volunteers visit Kentucky on Feb. 8. Pearl was suspended for misleading NCAA officials during an investigation. The suspension only pertains to SEC games.
Top Game Performances
 
Tennessee   Connecticut
Melvin Goins 15 Scoring Jeremy Lamb 16
Melvin Goins 5 Assists Kemba Walker 7
Brian Williams 7 Rebounds Alex Oriakhi 10
Melvin Goins 3 Free Throws Made Kemba Walker 3
Melvin Goins 2 Steals Alex Oriakhi 3
Scotty Hopson 1 Blocks Roscoe Smith 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Tennessee 61 42.9 6-20 7-10 12 28 2 7
Connecticut 72 48.2 9-19 9-13 15 31 7 7
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