UConn Catches Breath, Catches Up

Playing as if blasted out of a cannon, Eastern Michigan took its best shot at top-seeded Connecticut on Saturday.

For a while--for longer than anybody except themselves could have imagined--the ninth-seeded Eagles played perfectly, scoring on nine of their first 10 trips down the floor.

But after the rush finally subsided, Connecticut was too tall, too fast and had too much Doron Sheffer, the point guard who led the Huskies to a 95-81 victory at the RCA Dome, despite 36 points from Eagle guard Brian Tolbert.

“They did come out firing,” said Connecticut guard Ray Allen, who 25 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. “We kind of stood back for a moment, and then just responded.”

“I’m not sure we’ve experienced anything like that--certainly not in my 10 years at Connecticut,” said Connecticut Coach Jim Calhoun, referring to the Eagles’ 32-19 burst in the first 11:36.

Eastern Michigan, which finished its season with a 25-6 record, shot 72.2% (13 for 18) up until that point--but made only 18 of 48 the rest of the way.

How fast were the points being scored? Eastern Michigan led Connecticut, 43-41 (the Princeton-UCLA final Thursday), with 3:58 left in the first half.

But the Eagles’ hot shooting cooled (37.5% in the second half), and Connecticut pulled away to its eighth consecutive victory.

Sheffer limited 5-foot-5 Eagle guard Earl Boykins to 10 points and scored a career-high-tying 27 points and had seven rebounds and five assists.