It got a little bit dicey for the Huskies for a little while in the second half, but UConn (and particularly Kemba Walker) turned up the intensity in the last few minutes and were able to beat DePaul going away 97-71.
The first ten minutes of the second half were all DePaul. They were faster to every loose ball, their three pointers were falling, and they were just playing with a sense of urgency that UConn seemed to lack.
But over the course of the last few minutes Kemba Walker completely took over, especially in transition. DePaul just didn't have an answer for Walker over the last ten minutes. He finished with 26 points, with 19 of those coming in the second half.
The final score is a little bit surprising, considering it was only an 11 point game with about eight minutes left. But the Huskies then put the pedal through the floor.
As we mentioned earlier, UConn now advances to take on the Georgetown Hoyas in the second round of the tournament tomorrow. It will be difficult for them to stop Walker because of the absence of Chris Wright. We'll see how they are able to keep Walker out of the paint.