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| Heron (Auburn athletics) |
Less than two days after beating Oklahoma at the Mohegan Sun Arena, Mustapha Heron and his Auburn teammates were back in action on a Connecticut court.
This afternoon, Heron and the Tigers took on UConn at the XL Center in downtown Hartford. The arena did have a little bit of a Waterbury feel to it as more than 200 fans were bused in to watch Heron play.
“I came here a lot as a kid, to watch UConn games and concerts and things like that, so it was exciting to be able to play here, and definitely better to leave here with a ‘W’,” Heron said in a postgame interview.
The Tigers and Huskies battled into overtime, where the visitors held on for a 70-67 victory.
Heron finished the game with 15 points, eight rebounds and just one turnover. He made one of two free throw attempts with seven seconds left in OT to put Auburn ahead 70-67.
UConn had two chances to tie on three-point attempts, but both missed the mark. Heron played 36 minutes in the game.
The former Sacred Heart star certainly enjoyed his time back in Connecticut. Yesterday, he spent time speaking to children at Generali Elementary School in Waterbury. Heron also visited Alumni Hall and Sacred Heart, home of so many fond memories.
Head coach Bruce Pearl told WTIC-AM 1080’s Joe D’Ambrosio that the Auburn-UConn game was made possible because of his connection to UConn athletic director David Benedict. Benedict helped get Pearl his head coaching job when Benedict was at Auburn.
Here’s hoping that Heron gets more chances to come back and play in Connecticut. The first go-around was certainly enjoyable.
