Dyson Shines In First Round Loss

TAMPA, Fla. - With the crowd roaring and the bright lights bearing down on him, Jerome Dyson stepped up to the foul line and onto the crossroads of his basketball career.

Down two with 10.4 seconds to play in regulation, the Huskies didn't have A.J. Price to bail them out like he's done so many times this season. Instead, the biggest shot in more than two years was to be taken by the team's biggest question mark of the roster.

But after missing more than four weeks because of suspension and failing to impact a game like he once could since, Dyson was ready to put the past behind and start on the road to restoring his image to what it once was.

With no hint of fear or worry on his face, Dyson let everyone know that he was back - shot by shot.

Although the Huskies would ultimately fall to San Diego in overtime, his two made free throws gave his team new life at the end of regulation. In turn, they found new hope in their fallen star.

"That's the first time we've had Jerome back, truly back," said head coach Jim Calhoun. "He's a good foul shooter, but in the clutch he made six out of six, which shows you a lot more about Jerome Dyson."

And he continued in overtime, scoring UConn's last four points, including another pair of free throws that gave UConn a one-point lead with nine seconds to go.

He finished the game with 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting in 28 minutes of action.

"Down the stretch, he was fearless," Calhoun said.

Yesterday, Dyson said that he was looking forward to the NCAA tournament, not only to experience college sport's biggest stage but also to remind people of what he can do.

Friday, he did just that.

Although after the game he was more concerned about being bounced in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, he was pleased that the statement game that he and many others were waiting for finally materialized.

"It felt good just to get my game back and show that I can still play a little bit," he said.

When Price went down with 9:39 to go in the first half, the team struggled to find their direction on offense. Tied at 15-15 when the junior was carried off the court by teammates, the Huskies looked lost while trying to work their attack in the halfcourt set and stumbled into the locker room down five.

But Dyson wouldn't let his team go down without mustering some kind of fight. And Price knew he was the one who could instill it in them.

"I told Jerome Dyson that I needed him to go back to the scorer that he was," Price said. "I knew he was capable of being there.

Once the focal point of UConn's offense and one of the most feared scorers in the Big East, Dyson did just that.

After scoring just four in the first half, the much-maligned sophomore began attacking the hoop with the same speed and tenacity he did prior to his suspension. Dyson would go on to score just six points in the second half, but each point came when the Huskies needed it the most.

The tenacity and grit he showed also set the standard for the rest of the team, as it caught on with the other players as UConn caught up to the Toreros.

Handling the ball and directing traffic for the bulk of the second half, Dyson led the team back from an 11-point deficit early in the second half and into extra frames.

"Those are hard things [to deal with] when you have a lead and a guy is coming at you as hard and physical as Jerome did," Calhoun said. "He was terrific."

Entering the game in overtime with just 2:25 to play, Dyson continued to fearlessly attack the hoop.

As Jeff Adrien posted his man up in the post, the sophomore snuck behind his man on a backdoor cut and pushed the Huskies ahead, 67-66, with 43 seconds left on the clock.

On the following possession Dyson drove to the basket and after being fouled by Brandon Johnson, he effortlessly hit two free throws that could have decided the game's outcome.

"He played well," said Craig Austrie. "He hit clutch free throws and made some big shots."

Although the season is now over for the Huskies, the return of the player who has come left the team with just a little glimmer of hope as they look to distance themselves from last year's fiasco and blaze a new path.

Contact Justin Verrier at Justin.Verrier@UConn.edu.