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Late Comeback Bid Falls Short as UConn Falls to No. 11 Florida State, 79-71
12/8/2018 10:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball
NEWARK, N.J. – Redshirt sophomore Alterique Gilbert poured in 24 points while Jalen Adams and Tarin Smith added 15 and 12 point each, respectively, but UConn's late second-half rally came up short as the Huskies fell to No. 11 Florida State, 79-71, on Saturday night in the Never Forget Tribute Classic. The Huskies drop to 7-3 while Florida State improves to 8-1.
Adams knocked down a three while Vital and Polley each scored a bucket inside as UConn jumped out to an early 9-3 lead, but Florida State fought back to take a one-point lead by the second media timeout. Sidney Wilson and Kassoum Yakwe helped the Huskies regain the lead, 22-17, but the Seminoles used an 11-2 run over the final 5:16 to head into the intermission with a 39-33 advantage.
The Huskies struggled to find a bucket through the first 10 minutes of the second-half and FSU used a 6-0 run of its own to double its lead to 45-33. UConn trailed by as many as 15 in the half, but the Huskies continued to claw their way back, using a back-to-back triples from Adams and Gilbert to cut the deficit to 63-56 with about seven minutes left in regulation.
Florida State pushed its lead back to 10 (68-58) with 4:17 to go, but a second UConn push allowed the Huskies to come within five points (72-67) with less than 80 seconds remaining in the game. Unfortunately, UConn couldn't get completely over the hump and FSU sealed the game at the charity stripe to leave the Prudential Center with an eight point win.
Game Notes/Husky Highlights…
- Alterique Gilbert notched a career-high 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting.
- The Huskies held a 19-9 advantage on fast break points, registered more points off turnovers (18-16) and scored 30 points in the paint.
Next Up…
The Huskies are off for one week before resuming its campaign Dec. 15 at home against the Manhattan Jaspers. The game will be broadcast on SNY.
