UConnReport.com - Dyson leads UConn to exhibition win

November 8, 2009

Zac Boyer
UConnReport.com Editor

STORRS, Conn. - A torn lateral meniscus in the right knee left Jerome Dyson on the bench for the final 12 games last season. A torn toenail on his right big toe would not have the same effect.

Dyson scored 32 points and went a perfect 5-for-5 from 3-point range as No. 12 UConn defeated UMass Lowell 88-50 at Gampel Pavilion in the second of two exhibitions.

Preparing for his first game in nearly nine months, Dyson lost the toenail when he opened a door to get into the arena two hours before tip-off and a piece of metal on the bottom of the door dislodged it.

Doctors stitched the nail back on and numbed the toe with painkillers in an attempt to let him play.

"It hurt a lot, but Dr. [Jeffrey] Anderson was able to get the pain to go away with just numbing it up, and they put a little stitch in there to hold the nail down," Dyson said. "I told them they had to do whatever they could to make sure I could get out there and play."

His participation probably wasn't necessary against an overmatched UMass Lowell team, but it was important. UConn held an 18-17 advantage with 8:29 remaining in the first half before Dyson scored the Huskies' next 12 points.

"We're going to do the same thing Friday night [against William & Mary], just the other foot," said UConn head coach Jim Calhoun. "It seemed to work. He shot the hell out of the ball, took good shots and he played great. Absolutely terrific."

Dyson tore the meniscus when he collided with Syracuse's Kristof Ongenaet on Feb. 11. He was the team's second-leading scorer at 13.7 points per game for the Huskies, who were 23-1 at the time of his injury.

He was scheduled to return for the Huskies' first exhibition against American International on Wednesday, but documents pertaining to his eligibility for the season had not yet been reviewed and he was held out as a precautionary measure.

Dyson showed Sunday he was every bit the player he was before the injury. He aggressively attacked the basket, had no problem working to find an open shot and distributed the ball, finishing with six assists.

"He gives us energy," said guard Kemba Walker. "There were some points in the game where we relaxed and wasn't quite playing with intensity. Jerome came up with a steal, had a dunk and he's great out there."

Walker added 15 points and seven assists and Alex Oriakhi had 14 rebounds and nine points for UConn, which continued to work on pushing the tempo and trying to find a suitable frontcourt rotation.

Oriakhi's 14 rebounds follow the 16 he had against AIC on Wednesday, but Charles Okwandu, expected by Calhoun to push Oriakhi for time, had just four points and two rebounds in 10 minutes.

With Okwandu ineffective, the Huskies moved Stanley Robinson to the post to spell Gavin Edwards and worked in a three-guard line-up.

Robinson had just nine points and seven rebounds playing mostly out of position after a 25-point effort against AIC.

"It kind of robs Stanley of some of the things he can do," Calhoun said.

Edwards and freshman guard Darius Smith each had nine points and six rebounds. Max Kerman led UMass Lowell with 14 points.

"They're going to get better," said UMass Lowell coach Greg Herenda. "When they get everybody, this place will jump. They could be very good as always."

	Zac Boyer, the editor and publisher of UConnReport.com, covers UConn sports on the Rivals network. He can be reached by e-mail at zacboyer@rivals.com.
Home \| Latest Headlines \| Recruit Search \| Commitments \| Targets \| Visit Dates \| Message Boards