UConn ended its Florida vacation with its second win in three days, dispatching some directional Florida University (editor’s note: USF) on Tuesday night, 58-44. The victory pushes the Huskies to 8-5 on the season, with momentum clearly on their side.
After a lackluster start, UConn ran USF out of the gym in the second half, bolstered by the play of Amida Brimah. The sophomore big man led UConn in scoring (13), rebounds (8), blocks (6), and assists (just kidding). Brimah noticeably intimidated USF’s guards, who resorted to attempting soft floaters early on. His six blocks were a season high.
Though Brimah’s play stood out, this was truly an ensemble win for UConn. Ryan Boatright was the only other player to score in double figures (10). Nine of the 10 players who saw action scored for the Huskies and Omar Calhoun continued his resurgence with eight points in 16 strong minutes.
The Huskies held USF to 33.3 percent shooting in the second half — 38.3 percent for the game. Corey Allen Jr. led the Bulls in scoring with 12, but no other player topped six points. UConn would expand its lead to as many as 21 before switching to a strategy of running down the clock.
These types of games are dangerous for the Huskies. USF only drew 6,129 fans on Tuesday (a season-high…in a 10,000+ seat arena…), and UConn was coming off a big win against Florida. Early on, the Huskies had a tough time finding the effort level needed to win. Similar atmospheres await UConn as conference play continues, and it will be a challenge to stay focused.
The Huskies have dug themselves a hole to start the season with five early losses. They’ll need to close games out, like they did against USF, to ensure they’re in good shape come March.
Notes:
- Rakim Lubin played for the first time in three games. He scored four points and grabbed three rebounds, taking minutes from Phil Nolan.
- The Huskies missed half of their 12 free throw attempts. Daniel Hamilton is down to 56.5 percent from the stripe. That has to improve.
- Calhoun (2-5) and Boatright (2-4) were the only Huskies to make threes. The rest of the team was 0-5. Gross.
- UConn had only eight turnovers. Taking care of the ball was critical to their success on Tuesday.
Up Next:
For reasons unknown to mankind, UConn will play Cincinnati at 11 a.m. on Saturday in Hartford — awesome for hungover students. The game will be on ESPN2.
The reasons unknown to mankind= uconn hockey at the xl center at 7pm.
Displacing the National Champion basketball team to host under 10k at a hockey game is a terrible idea.