University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
University of Memphis
Men’s Basketball Tripped Up By Memphis, 78-71
2/10/2019 4:54:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Closing its two game road trip at the FedEx Forum, UConn men's basketball dropped a tight contest to Memphis, 78-71. UConn moved to 13-11 (4-7 AAC) on the season, while Memphis improved to 14-10 (6-5 AAC).
Sophomore Tyler Polley led the scoring for the Huskies, finishing with 20 points and six rebounds. Freshman Sidney Wilson tallied 16 points, six rebounds and three blocks, while grad transfer Tarin Smith and junior Christian Vital each added 13.
Memphis held a 14-9 lead just past the first media timeout of the game and extended its lead to 20-9 after a five minute UConn scoring drought. The Huskies ended their drought when senior Eric Cobb finished through contact, and then sunk the free throw to complete the old fashioned three-point play and cut UConn's deficit to 20-12. The Tigers extended the lead to 35-21 following a pair of free throws, but the Huskies ended the half on a 9-2 run to pull within seven, 37-30, at the break.
The home team started the second half on a 9-0 run to open up a 16 point lead. Displaying no signs of backing down, UConn began to chip away at the deficit, finally getting within single digits following a Tyler Polley triple at the 10:54 mark. The Huskies continued to scratch and claw their way back and drew within four points, 72-68 with 1:14 remaining after a Sidney Wilson dunk and a Tarin Smith triple from the top of the key, but the Huskies were unable to capitalize on their ensuing possessions and the tigers sealed the deal at the free throw line to earn the result.
Husky Highlights/ Game Notes…
- Four players reached double figures for UConn: Polley (20), Wilson (16), Vital (13) and Smith (13).
- The Huskies outrebounded Memphis 37-28 and also tallied 17 fastbreak points, 30 points in the paint and 11 second chance turnovers.
Next Up…
UConn plays host to nationally-ranked Houston in a Valentine's Day Special on Feb. 14 at the XL Center in Hartford in the only regular-season meeting between the schools. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tipoff and will be televised on ESPN.
