#22 UConn’s three game winning streak came to an abrupt end on Thursday night, as they dropped a close one to #7 Cincinnati (22-2, 11-0), 63-58.
The Huskies were without their second-leading scorer and rebounder, DeAndre Daniels, whose bum ankle back kept him out for the second straight game. Without him, Shabazz Napier was expected to carry even more of the burden on offense. In atypical fashion, Napier was not up for the challenge.
Napier was 5-19 from the floor (26%) and 2-12 from three (17%). While managing to lead UConn with 16 points, he notched only two rebounds and three assists, while generally seeming out of rhythm for most of the contest. With the game close late, Napier faltered, missing a deep three that would have given UConn the lead with 33 seconds remaining.
Lasan Kromah and Niels Giffey again started for UConn in Daniels’ absence. Both played well. Kromah was UConn’s best offensive weapon for large stretches of the game. He scored 13 points to accompany his usual stout defense. Giffey joined Kromah and Napier as the third Husky in double-digits, adding ten points of his own.
UConn (17-5, 5-4) needed a lift with Daniels out of action, yet no one was able to provide it. Ryan Boatright had a rough game — nine points, four rebounds, one assist. Without a late three-pointer, it looked even worse.
While a road loss to a top ten team is nothing to be ashamed of, this loss will sting because UConn had a chance to win it. A typical game from either Napier or Boatright might have been enough to swing it. It continued an interesting trend for UConn, where they appear capable of playing alongside the nation’s best teams, but occasionally lack the ability to put them away when given a chance to win.
Notes:
- With Daniels out, UConn’s bench was very thin. Terrence Samuel made a nice layup in the first half. Omar Calhoun made a tough 15-footer in the second. Those were the only points scored by UConn’s bench all game.
- The Huskies had no match for Sean Kilpatrick, who is very good. He finished with 26 points and 11 boards.
- UConn only gave up six offensive rebounds (and got six of their own). Poor shooting was the reason UConn lost, not rebounding.
- Napier (3), Kromah (2) and Boatright (1) were the only UConn players to record an assist. That’s a pretty sure sign that the offense was out of sync.
- The Huskies shot 5-21 from three — continuing a trend where poor shooting from deep translates into a loss.
- The game got ugly for part of the second half when the referees inserted themselves into the action. Over a 102 second span, there were six fouls called between the two teams. Tedious.
Up Next:
UConn travels to Orlando to take on UCF on Sunday (Feb. 9th). Tip is 6pm (over in time for The Walking Dead). You can see the game on ESPN2.
