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Walker's triple-double guides UConn over UMBC

Dec 4, 2010 - 4:03 AM Hartford, CT (Sports Network) - Kemba Walker continued his sensational start to the season with his first career triple-double, and the No. 7 Connecticut Huskies routed UMBC, 94-61.

Walker finished with 24 points, a career-high 13 rebounds and 10 assists for the Huskies (7-0), who improved to 4-0 at home with the rout. Jeremy Lamb added 12 points and six rebounds in the win.

"That's kind of special to be one of eight (players to record a triple-double in school history," Walker said. "There are a lot of great players who could have accomplished that. I was fortunate enough to do it. It's definitely special."

Niels Giffey, Alex Oriakhi and Roscoe Smith each scored 11 for UConn.

Walker has come out of nowhere to emerge as the early favorite for Player of the Year honors, scoring 24 or more in all but one of the Huskies' games this season. He's topped 30 points four times, including a 42-point effort on November 17 against Vermont.

Travis King tallied 14 points to lead the Retrievers (0-7), who have lost five of their games on the road. Chris De La Rosa produced 13 points in a losing effort.

The Huskies never trailed and jumped out an early 11-2 lead after a Smith dunk nearly three minutes into the contest.

UMBC was within 21-18 following a Justin Fry layup with 10 1/2 minutes left in the first half, but UConn scored the next eight points, as a pair of Walker buckets expanded the difference to 11.

The Huskies led by as many as 13 in the first half before settling for a 44-32 halftime advantage.

"It was a tale of two halves," said UMBC head coach Randy Monroe. "I thought we did a pretty good job in the first half. Second half, I don't know, I think we got stuck on the Baltimore Washington Expressway somewhere."

Connecticut opened the second half on a 13-3 run -- getting five points from Walker, whose layup with just over 17 minutes left pushed the margin to 57-35.

Lamb's jumper with nine minutes to play made it a 30-point contest, 80-50, and UConn cruised the rest of the way.

Game Notes

Walker also tied a career-high in assists...This was the first meeting between the two schools in basketball...UConn shot 55.9 percent from the field, including 12-of-23 from three-point range, while UMBC shot 32.4 percent overall...Walker passed 1,000 career points.