University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
16-16
University of South Florida
19-13
Men’s Basketball Advances to AAC Quarterfinals with 80-73 Victory over USF
3/14/2019 4:35:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Playing in the opening game of the 2018-19 AAC Men's Basketball Championships, UConn men's basketball used a balanced attack and hot-shooting from the field to earn an 80-73 win over the USF Bulls Thursday afternoon at the FedEx Forum. UConn sees its record even to 16-16, while USF ends the season with a 19-13 mark.
Junior Christian Vital led the Huskies with 25 points, five rebounds and three assists while senior Jalen Adams added 19 points, six boards and five assists. Grad transfer Tarin Smith tallied 14 points, sophomore Tyler Polley contributed eight points and classmate Isaiah Whaley provided a nice spark off the bench with eight of his own. Overall, UConn shot 54 percent from the field and 54.2 percent (13-24) from distance – including an American Athletic Conference record nine three pointers in a half!
UConn shot lights out (66.7%) during the opening 20 minutes. Tarin Smith scored the first seven points for the Huskies and then Jalen Adams followed up with the next nine, burying three straight triples to tie the game at 16-16. After Isaiah Whaley finished inside to give UConn its first lead of the game, Vital drained back-to-back three pointers to push the lead to six, forcing USF to call timeout. The Huskies continued to pile it on in the first half as they opened up a 37-19 lead and pushed their run to 19-1. The Bulls closed the half scoring seven of the last nine to cut into the deficit, but UConn still held a 39-26 lead at the intermission.
UConn kicked off the second half with a Jalen Adams layup, a Polley triple and a Whaley dunk to open up a 48-31 advantage. The Huskies retained a double-digit cushion for much of the second half, but the eighth-seeded Bulls refused to go away quietly. USF used a quick 8-0 spurt – capped off by an Alexis Yetna three – to cut the Husky lead down to six with just over two minutes remaining. UConn immediately responded, breaking the USF full-court press and finding Sidney Wilson inside for a reverse layup to regain a three possession lead. Wilson, Vital and Polley drained clutch free throws down the stretch to preserve the 80-73 victory and send the Huskies to the second round.
Game Notes / Husky Highlights…
- Three UConn players finished in double figures – Vital (25), J. Adams (19) and Smith (14).
- Isaiah Whaley tied a career-high with eight points this afternoon.
- The Huskies improve to 16-16 overall, two more wins than last season.
Next Up…
UConn advances to the AAC Championship quarterfinals on Friday, March 15, at FedExForum, against No. 1 seed Houston. The game is scheduled for a noon (EDT) tipoff and will be televised by ESPN2.
