PORTLAND — Tristen Newton scored 23 points, leading No. 20 UConn to an 83-59 win over Oregon on Thursday night at the Phil Knight Legacy tournament at the Moda Center.
Jordan Hawkins scored 18 points, Adama Sanogo added 12 and Joey Calcaterra came off the bench to score 11 for the unbeaten Huskies (6-0).
“This is what I came here for,” Newton said. “Big games, big moments.”
Kel’el Ware led the Ducks (2-3) with 18 points and nine rebounds off the bench. N’faly Dante contributed 15 points.
Oregon took an 8-5 lead in the opening minutes, but it was all Huskies after that. Newton scored 21 points in the first half on 5-for-6 shooting from 3-point range as UConn to a 39-28 lead at the break.
The Ducks were unable to fight their way back into the game in the second half and UConn’s lead ballooned to as many as 29 points.
“Just disappointed with the way we got out tonight and guarded,” Oregon head coach Dana Altman said. “They got a lot of energy from all those threes they were hitting.”
UConn shot 47.6% from the field (30 for 63) and 45.9% (17 for 37) from 3-point range. Newton, Hawkins, Sanogo and Calcaterra accounted for 15 of UConn’s 17 3-pointers. Alex Karaban added two more.
“We’re a very good 3-point shooting team,” UConn head coach Dan Hurley said. “Unlike our past teams, it’s a team that can go on runs because we’ve got multiple guys that can hurt you from the 3-point line.
Oregon struggled to find its rhythm, turning the ball over 17 times and shooting 33.3% (5 for 15) from beyond the arc.
BIG PICTURE
UConn: The Huskies handled business against an unranked Oregon team to remain undefeated.
Oregon: The Ducks were overmatched on virtually every level, unable to compete with UConn’s offensive firepower.
UP NEXT
The Huskies will play the winner of the game between No. 12 Michigan State and No. 18 Alabama in the PKI semifinal game on Friday.
The Ducks will play the loser of the game between No. 12 Michigan State and No. 18 Alabama in a consolation game on Friday.
