The Daily Campus

Issue date: 3/27/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Dan Gindraux Stanley Robinson slams home a dunk in UConn's Sweet 16 win over Purdue. Robinson had 10 points and 11 rebounds in the Huskies' 12-point win.

GLENDALE, Ariz. - Craig Austrie never looked at his stats. Not once. Not even a quick glance.

It's probably better off that way. In the nine games UConn has played without Jerome Dyson (eight of which Austrie started in), the 6-foot-3 senior guard shot an abysmal 12-for-50 from the field and 5-for-30 from 3-point range. That's 24 percent and 16 percent, respectively.

In Thursday night's Sweet 16 victory over Purdue, Austrie's performance hardly reflected those dreadful numbers.

"When I was out there I was playing with a bounce in my step, and I felt like I was going to make every shot," Austrie said.

And he almost did. Austrie scored a game-high 17 points and was a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.

"I knew it was going to come; shooters go through slumps," Austrie said. "I felt like I was just going through a slump and I never really got down on myself, but the help from my teammates and my coaching staff got me through it."

One of those teammates, senior guard A.J. Price, who scored 15 points of his own in the victory, was just happy to see the old Austrie back.

"He was huge today, he really got his confidence going," Price said. "I love to see Craig Austrie smile and today he got that smile back."

In the first half, Austrie hit two big 3-pointers that put UConn ahead 23-16, and when Purdue chipped away at the lead as the game wound down, Austrie drilled another with 7:00 remaining in the second half that gave UConn an 11-point cushion.

And, as he's done throughout his career, Austrie put the nail in the coffin at the free throw line when Purdue started fouling out of desperation.

"I've always believed in Craig Austrie," said coach Jim Calhoun. "He's always been our Papelbon. For those of you who do or don't like the Red Sox, I love Papelbon he's your closer."



The Quotable Hasheem Thabeet

"Terrible, man. It was terrible. That was my rebound. I don't know how they thought I touched the ball, they saw it on the big screen, they didn't call it." - UConn center Hasheem Thabeet on a more than questionable goal tending call made against him at the 3:04 mark of the second half.

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