St. Thomas, VI -- (Sports Network) - The second-ranked Connecticut Huskies will try to make it three wins in a row this evening, as they clash with the La Salle Explorers in the opening round of the Paradise Jam at the UVI Sports and Fitness Center. The victor of the contest will advance to the semifinals against either Miami-Florida or Southern Mississippi.

The Huskies have had little trouble in their first two games of the season, winning them both by double figures. UConn kicked off its 2008-09 campaign with an 82-63 triumph over Western Carolina before handling instate foe, Hartford, 99-56 on Monday. The victory over Hartford was the program's 63rd straight over an opponent from the Nutmeg State.

As for La Salle, it also began its season with two straight home games, although it went just 1-1 during that stand. After opening the campaign with a close with over Morgan State (64-61), the Explorers came up just short in a 65-61 decision against Florida State on Tuesday.

This game marks the first-ever meeting between La Salle and UConn on the hardwood.

The Explorers shot a sub par 36.7 percent from the field, including a poor 4-of-21 effort from downtown, as they were edged by FSU on Tuesday. It was certainly a step back for La Salle, which made 47.7 percent of its attempts in an opening win over Morgan State. Yves Mekongo Mbala paced the team in defeat with a double-double that consisted of 13 points and 11 rebounds. The effort was a slight improvement from Mekongo Mbala, as he logged nine points and eight boards in the opener. After recording a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards in the season opener, Jerrell Williams contributed 10 points and five rebounds last game.

The Huskies dominated the boards, 47-32, and outscored Hartford at the foul line, 33-12, as they cruised to a victory on Monday. UConn turned in the same kind of effort in its opener, when it controlled the glass, 42-31, and held a 21-5 edge in free-throw points in a win over Western Carolina. Craig Austrie and freshman Kemba Walker led the charge against Hartford, as they each scored 21 points and went a combined 17-of-19 at the charity stripe. The guards did a nice job stepping up in the absence of All-American candidate A.J. Price, who missed the contest with a sprained ankle. Price, the team's second leading scorer (14.5 ppg) from last season, is listed as questionable for this game. Jerome Dyson added 18 points and four assists in Monday's win, while Jeff Adrien posted his 34th career double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds. In the team's opener, Dyson went for 23 points and five assists, and Adrien had 14 points and seven boards. Hasheem Thabeet led the charge with 23 points and 17 boards in the opener, but the 7-3 center was limited to nine points and eight boards versus Hartford.