Storrs, CT -- (Sports Network) - Jeff Adrien posted 14 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, as the 18th-ranked Connecticut Huskies began the 2006-07 season with a 53-46 victory at home against the Quinnipiac Bobcats.

Jerome Dyson scored 16 points for the Huskies (1-0), who finished 30-4 overall last season and narrowly missed the Final Four, losing to George Mason in dramatic fashion. No other UConn player finished in double figures, and Hasheem Thabeet grabbed 11 rebounds.

Chris Wehye notched 17 points and eight rebounds for the Bobcats (0-1), who finished last season 12-16 overall and have been picked to finish fourth in the Northeast Conference. DeMario Anderson scored 11 points and Victor Akinyanju added 11 boards.

Quinnipiac made it a two-point game with 2:33 left on Adam Gonzalez's three- pointer, but Craig Austrie answered right back with a three of his own 29 seconds later for a 51-46 UConn lead.

The Huskies held the ball through their four-corners offense until Dyson got fouled and converted one free throw with 1:07 remaining. UConn got the offensive rebound, and worked the clock until Adrien drew a foul and converted 1-of-2 from the line to make it a three-possession game with 40.1 seconds on the clock.

A Dyson three-pointer midway through the first half sparked a 23-5 UConn run down the stretch, and the Huskies led 35-16 at the intermission.

Quinnipiac opened the second half on a 20-6 run, capped by a Casey Cosgrove three-pointer with 11:14 left for a 41-36 deficit.

Connecticut worked the glass for 18 second-chance points, compared to just four by Quinnipiac. The Huskies outrebounded the Bobcats, 55-40.

Game Notes

The Bobcats are 26-31 all-time in season openers dating back to 1951. As for Connecticut, it is 17-4 in season openers under coach Jim Calhoun, and the program is 47-4 all-time against non-conference opponents at Gampel Pavilion...Connecticut has won all eight previous meetings with Quinnipiac, but the Bobcats managed to stake a single-digit deficit for the first time...UConn is 8-0 all-time in the series and has beaten 18 straight opponents in its Gampel Pavilion season debut.