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Walker, Huskies snap Hoyas' 8-game win streak

Feb 17, 2011 - 3:50 AM Hartford, CT (Sports Network) - Kemba Walker made 13-of-23 shots en route to 31 points and handed out 10 assists, leading 13th-ranked Connecticut to a 78-70 win over No. 9 Georgetown in an intense Big East battle at the XL Center.

Jamal Coombs-McDaniel came off the bench to provide 23 points, while Alex Oriakhi supplied 10 points and eight rebounds for the Huskies (20-5, 8-5 Big East), who have won two straight and three of four.

"It was huge," Coombs-McDaniel said about the win. "The Big East is kind of compact right now. We're just trying to get our spot in the Big East Tournament. Getting a 20th win in college basketball is a huge accomplishment. Hopefully, we can build off this."

Chris Wright pumped in 19 points with five assists, while Jason Clark scored 13 for the Hoyas (20-6, 9-5), who had an eight-game win streak snapped.

Austin Freeman scored 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting, and pulled down seven rebounds, while Hollis Thompson chipped in 10 points for the visitors, who had won the last four meetings.

Walker had two buckets, including a layup off a pass to himself off the backboard, and Coombs-McDaniel hit a triple and a baseline jumper in a 9-0 run that gave UConn a 45-40 advantage with just over 16 minutes to play.

The duo combined for all nine points during a 9-4 stretch that pushed the Huskies lead to 58-50 inside of 12 minutes to play.

Georgetown regained a 70-69 lead on a Freeman layup with four minutes left before Walker's layup on the next possession put the hosts ahead to stay.

Walker hit a jumper from the right wing with 2:10 remaining before Clark misfired on a three-point shot and Wright missed a runner in the lane. Walker then hit 1-of-2 at the line to make it a four-point game with 37.5 ticks left.

Three more foul shots in the final 26 seconds sewed up the victory for UConn.

"The offensive end was not the issue," Wright said in assessing the defeat. "It was more the defensive end and containing off the screen and roll. It was a tough game. As a team, we didn't play our usual defense, so there were a lot of easy layups and easy shots for Kemba and his teammates."

A Thompson three, 1-of-2 at the line from Julian Vaughn and a breakaway dunk by Clark finished a 10-2 burst to give the Hoyas 23-13 lead with 9:41 to play in the half.

Oriakhi had two dunks and made a jump shot before Jeremy Lamb's three-pointer capped a 14-4 surge that put the Huskies on top at 36-34 inside of a minute to play in the half.

Wright responded with a triple to give the Hoyas the lead at the break.

Game Notes

UConn is 5-4 against ranked teams this season, including a 4-1 mark versus foes ranked in the Top 10...Jim Calhoun has guided the Huskies to a 20-win campaign for the 18th time in the last 22 seasons and for the 19th time in his 25 seasons as the Huskies head coach...Walker moved past Phil Gamble into 20th place on UConn's all-time scoring list with 1,397 points...The Huskies are 8-1 at the XL Center this season...Georgetown's eight-game league win streak was its longest since an 11-gamer during 2006-07...The Hoyas also had a four-game road win streak halted.