University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Villanova University
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UConn Falls Short Against Villanova
12/22/2018 3:02:00 PM | Men's Basketball
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Despite 18 points from Christian Vital, the UConn men's basketball team struggled to find offense in the second half, dropping its final nonconference game to former Big East foe Villanova, 81-58, Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. UConn and Villanova both moved to 9-4 on the year.
The Huskies and Wildcats battled in a low-scoring first half, with the teams deadlocked at 30 at the break. Villanova jumped out to an 8-2 lead, but UConn fought back to level the score at 11-11. The Huskies opened up a 26-22 lead following back-to-back triples by Gilbert and Tarin Smith, but Villanova outscored UConn 8-4 over the final four minutes to close out the half.
UConn took a 36-35 lead after sinking two free throws resulting from a Jay Wright technical foul, but the Wildcats responded with a 19-0 run over six minutes to open up 54-36 advantage. Vital used a 10-0 run of his own to bring the Huskies within 16 points (66-50) with 6:22 remaining, but that was as close as UConn would get for the rest of the afternoon.
Game Notes/Husky Highlights…
- Two Huskies finished in double figures – Vital led the charge with 18 points, while Alterique Gilbert added 14 points of his own.
- UConn blocked five shots to Villanova's two.
Next Up…
The Huskies kick off American Athletic Conference play on the road when they travel to Tampa, Fla. to face USF on Wednesday, Jan. 2 at 8:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
