UConn falls behind early and cannot catch up

UConn Coach Jim Calhoun fumed from the sideline as his indifferent big men allowed Iowa State to drive right to the rim for baskets or snatch offensive rebounds. After the Huskies’ 6-foot-10 Andre Drummond watched Iowa State’s 6-5 Chris Babb toss in a short floater in the lane in the first half, Calhoun could only throw his hands up in disgust. The game could have been UConn’s last N.C.A.A. tournament game for two years because of academic sanctions, but the Huskies did not seem to play with urgency the first 12 minutes and fell behind by 22 points to eighth-seeded Iowa State. Jeremy Lamb and Shabazz Napier and the freshman Ryan Boatright took control and rallied the Huskies within 58-52 with 8 minutes 23 seconds to play, but Iowa State (23-10) regained control and held off the Huskies, 77-64, in the South Region game. Iowa State will play No. 1 Kentucky on Saturday. Napier led ninth-seeded UConn (20-14) with 22 points and Lamb added 19. “They came out and threw the first punch and we weren’t ready for it,” Napier said. “We lost the game in the first half.” The Huskies’ big men — Roscoe Smith, Alex Oriakhi and Drummond — shot 4 of 13 from the field. Chris Allen, a transfer from Michigan State, led the Cyclones with 20 points. Royce White, a transfer from Minnesota, added 15. UConn trailed, 58-52, when Napier rushed a 25-foot shot from and missed. Then Boatright and Lamb missed long 3-point attempts. Meanwhile, the Cyclones kept snatching offensive rebounds and scoring easy put-backs. They stretched their lead back to 13, 65-52, with 2:53 to play and the Huskies were finished for the season. By this time, Calhoun was done screaming at his players and was ranting at the officials as Iowa State paraded to the foul line. It was so bad for UConn that Iowa State’s White, a 49 percent free-throw shooter, went to the line with 1:13 left and hit two to make the score 71-56. The cap on UConn’s frustrating night came when Lamb stole the ball in the final seconds and raced in for a dunk and missed it at the buzzer. “I’m surprised as anybody; clearly I imagine our players are, too,” Calhoun said. “At times we certainly made a dent and came back, but the opening few minutes kind of set the tone for the game, and we did come back but we didn’t have enough whatever it may be to stay with it.” Connecticut had a taller frontline, but it was not superior. The Cyclones attacked the rim with the 6-8 Royce White, who can also play point guard, and 6-6 Melvin Ejim. The Huskies did not offer much resistance in the lane as Iowa State raced to a 36-14 lead. The Cyclones thought their best hope to win was to make outside shots because they did not have a player to throw the ball inside to against UConn’s height. So they drove and also made shots — 6 of 12 from the 3-point line in the first half — and led, 42-32, at the intermission. Iowa State outrebounded the Huskies, 22-12, in the first half, which included eight offensive rebounds against the lethargic UConn big men. “Give them all the credit, Iowa State,” Calhoun said. “There isn’t too many ways they didn’t beat us tonight. It’s very disappointing to have to end the season this way. I’m not happy with the way we played tonight. I’m sure our players are not very happy with the way they played tonight.”