University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
University of Central Florida
Team Stats
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Huskies Battle But Fall 65-53 to UCF
1/5/2019 2:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HARTFORD, Conn. – In its first conference home game of the season the Huskies battled but ultimately fell to preseason American Conference favorite, UCF, 65-53, in front of 10,541 at the XL Center.
UConn came out firing with a 7-0 run to begin the game. Alterique Gilbert led the way in the first half with 11 points and cashed in on three three-point field goals. UCF responded to the UConn run with a 13-3 run of their own that was created with turnovers and transition buckets.
The first half went back and forth the rest of the way with seven lead changes and three ties before the Knights extended their lead to seven with 3:45 left in the half. The Huskies were able to close the deficit to three before hitting halftime, 33-30.
UCF quickly pushed its lead out to seven to start the second half after a dunk from Aubrey Dawkins made it 40-33. But the Huskies responded with a 7-0 run to tie the game at 40. Junior Christian Vital scored all seven points including a put-back dunk and then knocked down a corner three after a nice feed from Jalen Adams. Vital led the Huskies with 11-second half points and finished the game with 15 points.
However, Dawkins and the Knights closed the game on a 25-13 run to close the game. Dawkins finished with a season-high 23 points with 16 of those coming in the second half. The Huskies hustle led to a 17-0 margin on the offensive boards but UConn was only able to convert six second chance points.
UConn drops to 0-2 in American Conference play and 9-6 overall. Next up, the Huskies face SMU on Thursday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. at Gampel Pavilion.
