Storrs — UConn appears stuck in some time warp, transported back to the basketball program's darker days.

With a surprising 64-61 loss to Northeastern on Monday, UConn is 0-2 to start the regular season for the first time since the 1968-69 season.

That was when coach Burr Carlson's Huskies finished 5-19. But those Huskies opened with two road losses, not dropping two straight at friendly Gampel Pavilion like this season.

The last time UConn lost to Northeastern was 1985 when a brash, young coach named Jim Calhoun stomped down the sidelines. UConn had won eight straight in the series.

"I just never imagined that we'd be 0-2 now, but it happens," coach Kevin Ollie said. "I've got to make adjustments as a coach, that's what I believe in. I never was a quitter and I'm never going to be a quitter. I don't think you lose until you quit and we're not going to quit."

The Huskies are deep trouble right now. They're reeling heading out on a four-game road trip that starts in Los Angeles with a game at Loyola Marymount on Thursday.

"It's definitely frustrating," sophomore Terry Larrier said. "We've just got to stick together and figure things out."

Larrier led the Huskies in scoring for the second straight game, finishing with 17 points. Sophomore Jalen Adams added 15 points while senior Amida Brimah had seven rebounds, eight blocks and five points.

Trailing by three, UConn had three shots to try to tie the score in the final minute. Larrier misfired twice from 3-point range, but after UConn's pressure forced a turnover, freshman Alterique Gilbert stole the ball and quickly fired a 3-pointer just before the buzzer but missed.

UConn played with more energy than it did in a season-opening loss to Wagner on Friday but the result remained the same.

Northeastern (2-0) exposed every UConn flaw. The NU Huskies slowed the tempo, played zone and paralyzed UConn, which went 5-for-21 from 3-point range.

The Huskies failed to shoot 40 percent once again, converting just 39.1. They also were badly outrebounded, 47-38, and allowed 17 offensive rebounds leading to 19 second-chance points. They played from behind all but four and a half minutes after leading only once at 2-0 against Wagner.

After trailing 35-31 at intermission, UConn surged ahead with a 9-1 run. Larrier fed Brimah for a dunk, giving the Huskies a 40-36 edge, their biggest lead of the season.

Northeastern kept its composure. T.J. Williams, who scored 30 points in Friday's win over Boston University, buried back-to-back 3-pointers to push his team in front, 45-42. UConn's deficit grew to seven on Florida transfer Alex Murphy's fast-break jam with 3:49 left. Murphy had nine points and a game-high 15 rebounds.

The seven point deficit seemed gigantic given UConn's offensive issues. The Huskies lack a consistent scorer — inside or outside — right now.

Defensively, they held Northeastern to just 36.4 percent shooting.

"We've just got to figure out how to score, that's the big thing I'm looking at," Ollie said.

Ollie shook up the starting lineup, replacing Rodney Purvis and Kentan Facey with Gilbert and Vance Jackson. The Huskies still stumbled at the start, missing 12 of their first 14 shots.

His bench was a bit short with freshmen Christian Vital (back spasms) and Mamadou Diarra (sore knees) unavailable.

"It's a dark time," Ollie said. "I know that. I understand the expectations of everybody here, in this room and at UConn. I feel embarrassed right now. ... I've going to get through it and this team is going to get through it.

"We're young but we've got to keep fighting... and we can't accept losing We will figure this out. We will.

For the second straight game, a mid-major coach paid his respects to the UConn basketball program and its rich history.

"It was a tremendous opportunity to come down and compete against a program like UConn," NU coach Bill Coen said. "We have the utmost respect for everything that's been accomplished here by this program. They've been a bellwether in New England for a long, long time."

"... We want to measure ourselves against the best. Certainly, UConn is that. We're very fortunate to get a win."

g.keefe@theday.com