HARTFORD — Ryan Boatright scored 18 points and backcourt mate Rodney Purvis added 14 as defending national champion UConn routed Central Connecticut 81-48 on Sunday.

Sophomore forward Kentan Facey had his first career double-double for the Huskies (6-4), scoring 12 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Amida Brimah also scored 12 points, and Omar Calhoun chipped in with 11.

UConn led by 12 at halftime and turned the game into a rout by outscoring CCSU 22-2 to start the second half.

The Huskies shot 53 percent from the floor, while holding their in-state rivals to just 31 percent. They outrebounded CCSU 42-28 and oustscored the Blue Devils 42-22 in the paint.

Greg Andrade led Central Connecticut (2-10) with 12 points, but just two of those came after halftime.

Matt Mobley, who came into the game averaging almost 19 points a game, finished with just nine points for the Blue Devils, hitting just two of his 10 attempts from the floor.

Andrade scored CCSU’s first seven points and Central Connecticut hung with the Huskies early. UConn had trouble with the Blue Devil’s’ 2-3 zone, and a layup by Corey Barrett tied the game at 20 midway through the first half.

But the Huskies figured things out from there. UConn went on a 13-0 run, holding Central without a field goal over the next 8 minutes.

Omar Calhoun, playing in just his third game after suffering a preseason knee injury, hit his first 3-point shot since last January. That was part of a balanced Huskies attack that saw five players score at least five points before intermission.

UConn went into the break leading 35-23. A dunk and free throw by Boatright gave the Huskies a 30-point lead at 55-25, and UConn cruised from there.

The Blue Devils have no one on their roster taller than 6-foot-9, and UConn had no problem when it went inside. The 7-foot Brimah and 6-9 Facey hit their first eight shots and finished a combined 11 of 12, almost exclusively on layups and dunks.

The win puts UConn two games over .500 and gives the Huskies their first back-to-back victories since they opened the season 3-0.