Spring Break
Price thanks fans for career scoring night
Marc Gauthier
Issue date: 1/22/09 Section: Sports
The horn was buzzing, fans were making their way to the exits and the Huskies on the floor were huddled around each other celebrating their victory over No. 21 Villanova. That is, all the Huskies except one.
A.J. Price walked alone and along the baseline in front of the student section and simply pointed out to a sea of white and blue.
After scoring a career-high 29 points, it was the least Price could do for his fans.
"The fans were great tonight," Price said. "Sometimes in the XL Center, it's more lackadaisical, more laid back, but tonight the fans were definitely into it, so I had to let them know I appreciated it."
In the first half of Wednesday's game, Villanova seemed to have control of the tempo and was putting the hammer down on the Huskies. But every time it seemed the Wildcats would jump out to a large lead, Price came down and hit one shot after another.
"In the first half it felt as though the basket was a mile-wide," Price said. "At one point, I felt that anything I put up was going to go in."
Price's red-hot shooting left him with 20 points at halftime and had the Huskies at a 48-48 tie with Villanova.
In the second half, Villanova defenders keyed in on Price, but as a result, the Huskies were able to move the ball around and free up other players on the offensive end.
"A.J. was awesome and we did not really have an answer for him," said Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "We were afraid to put too much help on him because then we would get killed on the glass. I think that is what makes them a great team, because they have so many weapons."
But despite the stat line, there was something else about Price's game Wednesday that coach Jim Calhoun was happy to see - Price trusting his surgically repaired knee.
In the first half, Price penetrated the lane and made a physical move to the basket that Calhoun said he hadn't seen since last season.
"I told him how happy I was for him," Calhoun said. "He was the man tonight."
A.J. Price walked alone and along the baseline in front of the student section and simply pointed out to a sea of white and blue.
After scoring a career-high 29 points, it was the least Price could do for his fans.
"The fans were great tonight," Price said. "Sometimes in the XL Center, it's more lackadaisical, more laid back, but tonight the fans were definitely into it, so I had to let them know I appreciated it."
In the first half of Wednesday's game, Villanova seemed to have control of the tempo and was putting the hammer down on the Huskies. But every time it seemed the Wildcats would jump out to a large lead, Price came down and hit one shot after another.
"In the first half it felt as though the basket was a mile-wide," Price said. "At one point, I felt that anything I put up was going to go in."
Price's red-hot shooting left him with 20 points at halftime and had the Huskies at a 48-48 tie with Villanova.
In the second half, Villanova defenders keyed in on Price, but as a result, the Huskies were able to move the ball around and free up other players on the offensive end.
"A.J. was awesome and we did not really have an answer for him," said Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "We were afraid to put too much help on him because then we would get killed on the glass. I think that is what makes them a great team, because they have so many weapons."
But despite the stat line, there was something else about Price's game Wednesday that coach Jim Calhoun was happy to see - Price trusting his surgically repaired knee.
In the first half, Price penetrated the lane and made a physical move to the basket that Calhoun said he hadn't seen since last season.
"I told him how happy I was for him," Calhoun said. "He was the man tonight."
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