University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
University of Houston
Men’s Basketball Falls to No. 9 Houston, 71-63
2/14/2019 9:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HARTFORD, Conn. – Playing its third ranked opponent and first top ten team this season, UConn men's basketball battled hard but ultimately fell to No. 9 Houston, 71-63, on Thursday night at the XL Center. UConn falls to 13-12 on the season while the Cougars improve to 24-1.
Junior Christian Vital led the Huskies with 15 points, while redshirt freshman Sidney Wilson and grad transfer Tarin Smith pitched in 12 and 10 points apiece, respectively. Josh Carlton finished with a team high 10 rebounds and two blocks.
The Huskies and Cougars battled in a tightly contested first half, with Houston holding the edge at the break, 32-29. The Cougars opened up an early 11-5 lead after nailing three straight from beyond the arc. UConn fought back, taking an 18-15 lead following back-to-back triples from Vital and Brendan Adams. The teams traded blows through the remainder of the half, with the visitors leaving for intermission with the three-point advantage.
UConn trailed by 16 midway through the second half but pulled within seven, 61-54, after two treys from Polley and one from Vital during a 14-5 Husky run. Houston responded with a jumper on the other end, and then made eight free throws down the stretch to hold on for the victory.
Next Up…
UConn is idle for one week before getting back on the road to Dallas, Texas, challenging SMU in an AAC contest at Moody Coliseum on Thursday, Feb. 21. The game is scheduled for a 9 p.m. tipoff (EST) and will be televised on either ESPN or ESPN2.
