Big letdown of the week: Men’s basketball versus Iowa State

The Iowa State Cyclones pulled off a huge upset of the UConn men’s basketball team on Thursday night. The KFC Yum! Center was packed with fans to witness the 77-64 Connecticut loss.

Coach Jim Calhoun was shocked at the result. “I’m surprised as anybody, clearly,” Calhoun said. “I imagine our players are, too.”

Shabazz Napier dropped 22 points on the Cyclones in the loss. Coupled with Jeremy Lamb’s 19, the team scored 32 points in each half. The Cyclones were just too much, however, withstanding several UConn comeback runs. 14 points all at the end came from free throws for Iowa State. Calhoun remained positive about the team’s performance on the season, however.

“This game was a disappointment; this season was not a disappointment to me,” Calhoun said. “I knew this team could be really good, but we just didn’t reach that level.”

Wish We Were There: Women’s Basketball vs. Prairie View A&M

The NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship kicked off this week, and UConn entered the action with an 83-47 thrashing of Prairie View A&M Saturday. Kaleena Moqueda-Lewis scored 21 points in the contest, tying the record for points scored in a first tournament game appearance. She currently shares the record with Jamelle Elliot, currently coaching at Cincinnati.

The offense started out rusty, but the defense carried the day. Connecticut currently leads the nation in scoring defense. The Huskies have given up just 46 points per contest. The No. 16 seed Panthers scored just 15 points in the second half.