Roos get roughed up in Storrs as UConn rolls to 94-66 victory

Tarin Smith scored 22 points to lead UConn over UMKC 94-66 on Sunday.

The fifth-year senior guard shot 10 for 12 from the field to lead the Huskies (2-0). Smith transferred to UConn from Duquesne, where he was the Atlantic-10 Sixth Man of the Year last season.

Danny Dixon led UMKC (0-3) with 15 points.

UMKC, which was playing its third straight road game, all against tough opponents (Loyola Chicago, Iowa and on Sunday, UConn) held its last lead at 10-9 at 16:01.

Jalen Adams had 20 points, Alterique Gilbert 12 and Christian Vital added 10 rebounds. The last time UConn scored at least 90 points in a game was Feb. 8, 2017 when it beat South Florida 97-51.

Tied at 12, UConn used a 23-3 run to take control and led 50-33 at the half. The Huskies only held a double-digit lead at halftime once last season, which was a 35-23 edge against South Florida.

Eight of the nine Huskies who played scored at least a basket in the half. Smith shot 7 of 9 from the field and had 15 points off the bench. UConn had only 18 bench points in its opening win against Morehead State.

The Huskies scored 13 points off UMKC’s seven turnovers and picked up 14 fast-break points.

After shooting 53 percent in the first half, UConn cooled off in the second, making just two of 13 attempts in the opening seven-plus minutes after intermission. UMKC was only able to cut its deficit to 15 points, 58-43, during that stretch before UConn’s offense awoke.

The Roos will continue to look for their first win of the season against Morehead State in Cheney, Wash., on Friday.