University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
University of Cincinnati
UConn Rally Falls Short Against Cincinnati
2/24/2019 5:36:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HARTFORD – A furious second-half rally by the UConn men's basketball team turned a 15-point deficit into a 1-point lead against Cincinnati, only to have the Bearcats ultimately emerge with a 64-60 victory Sunday afternoon before 11,904 fans at the XL Center.
On a day when UConn honored the 20th anniversary of its 1999 NCAA Championship team and brought back many of the players from that team, the current Huskies showed plenty of heart, grit and determination, but couldn't get the one more bucket or one extra defensive stop that might have made the difference.
After trailing by just three at halftime, UConn (13-14 overall, 4-10 American Conference) fell behind Cincinnati, 44-31, as the result of a slow start in the second half and Cincinnati's margin grew to 50-35 with 9:06 remaining.
That's when the Huskies, sparked by junior Christian Vital, sophomore Alterique Gilbert and a swarming defense, exploded on a 16-0 run over the next 4:00 to grab a 51-50 lead. The teams remained within one point, until UConn, trailing, 59-58, put the clamps on the Bearcats again, only to have Cincinnati's Cane Broome throw in a 30-foot prayer as the shot clock was running out to make the cushion 62-58 with 12 seconds to go, and allow Cincinnati (23-4, 12-2) to escape with a win.
For UConn, Vital (14) and Gilbert (13) hit double-figures, and Vital led the rebounding with 7.
The Huskies will return to action on Feb. 28, traveling to Wichita State.
