No. 2 UConn Loses for the First Time

DaJuan Summers scored 18 points and No. 11 Georgetown won the first of many matchups between ranked Big East teams this season, beating No. 2 Connecticut 74-63 on Monday night for its seventh straight win.

Chris Wright and freshman Greg Monroe both had 16 points for Georgetown (10-1, 1-0), and Austin Freeman added 13.

A.J. Price had 16 points and Jeff Adrien added 15 for the Huskies (11-1, 0-1), who cut a 12-point deficit early in the second half to three twice but couldn't get any closer.

The Hoyas opened the game on an 18-3 run by hitting four of their first five 3-point attempts, then held off Connecticut by making 18 straight free throws in the second half to finish 18-for-21 from the line.

It was the Hoyas' eighth straight victory in a Big East opener, the last five under coach John Thompson III.

Georgetown's only loss this season was to Tennessee in the semifinals of the Old Spice Classic.

The loss snapped Connecticut's seven-game winning streak over ranked opponents, including victories this season over Miami, Wisconsin and Gonzaga.

This was the first time both teams were ranked when they met since the 1996 Big East tournament championship game when Connecticut, led by Ray Allen, beat Georgetown, led by Allen Iverson.

The Big East has seven schools ranked in The Associated Press Top 25.

Monroe hit his second 3 of the game 13 seconds into the second half to put Georgetown up 39-27. The Huskies went on a 14-1 run to get within three points for the first time.

The 6-foot-11 Monroe, playing with three personal fouls, stopped the run with a hook shot over 7-3 Hasheem Thabeet to make it 42-37 with 14:05 left. Stanley Robinson made two free throws to make it a three-point game again and then Freeman took over, scoring seven of the first nine points in a 14-6 run that got Georgetown's lead back in double digits, 56-45, with 9:46 to go.

Connecticut was never closer than nine points the rest of the way and the Hoyas led by as many as 17.

Georgetown opened an 18-3 lead in the game's first 6 minutes, hitting seven of its first 10 shots from the field while the Huskies started 0-for-4 and turned it over five times in that span.

The numbers had to start evening out and they did as Connecticut picked up the defensive intensity.

The Huskies got within four twice but Wright hit two tough shots in the final 1:03 for a personal 4-1 run that gave the Hoyas a 36-27 lead.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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