After an even start, UConn took over in the first half, taking over as Josh Harrellson was forced to sit with early foul trouble. Using balanced scoring — seven of the nine players to log minutes scored — UConn was able to push its advantage as the half wore on, taking a 10-point lead into the half, 31-21.
Kentucky was cold from the field throughout the first half, shooting just 28.1 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from beyond the arc. UConn, on the other hand, found the range early, shooting 51.9 percent from the field. That hot shooting, and tenacious defense, has Kentucky on its heels early as UConn is on the verge of running away with it.
Kemba Walker led the way for UConn with nine points and five assists in the first half. Jeremy Lamb had eight points, with Alex Oriakhi and Charles Okwandu each adding four points. Roscoe Smith had a team-high five assists in the half.
Terrence Jones had a team-high nine points and six rebounds for Kentucky in the half. Brandon Knight added seven points, but scoring was hard to come by outside of those two. Josh Harrellson had just two points before taking a seat with two fouls.
For more on the game, and the rest of the day’s results, check out the rest of our Final Four scores StoryStream.