From the opening tip, it was clear that something was different for UConn.
Daniel Hamilton hit a three 20 seconds in and the Huskies scored the first 10 points of the game en route to a 70-45 blowout over AAC-leading Tulsa at the XL Center Thursday night.
The win gave the Huskies three in a row and avenged a 66-58 loss to the Golden Hurricane in Oklahoma a month ago.
It wasn’t just the final score that should give UConn fans hope. The Huskies competed from the opening tip and played as close to a 40-minute game as they have all season. It wasn’t the prettiest game ever played. It wasn’t the most perfect. But it was the best that this group has produced.
Like any first-place team, Tulsa did not go away after being blitzed in the opening minutes. The Golden Hurricane cut the UConn lead to six on two occasions in the first half, but never drew closer. The Huskies responded to every run with a spurt of their own, then started the second half on a 15-3 run to turn it into a laugher.
And for the second straight game, it wasn’t all Ryan Boatright.
Boatright, of course, led the way, pouring in 23 points, dishing out eight assists and grabbing five rebounds. But Rodney Purvis posted his second-straight 17-point performance, doing so on 7-12 shooting. Hamilton had another double-double with 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. As a team, UConn matched a season low with just seven turnovers.
On the other end, the Huskies’ defensive performance was just as important. They held Tulsa to 32 percent shooting and forced the Golden Hurricane to take 20 threes, only five of which they made. Leading scorer James Woodard was 0-5 from three, 0-7 overall and did not manage a point all game.
It shouldn’t surprise you that UConn forced Tulsa to the perimeter. Amida Brimah had seven of the Huskies’ 10 blocks, making it difficult for the Golden Hurricane to do anything inside. UConn also won the battle on the glass, 39-30.
When Dan Guest scored in the final minute, he put UConn at 70 points for the first time in 2015 and made the final margin the Huskies’ second largest of the season, with another big game on the horizon.
Up Next: Perhaps the biggest test on the American schedule this year. The Huskies travel to Dallas to face No. 25 SMU, with the ESPN Gameday Crew on hand for a 9 p.m. tip.
Tell your significant other that Valentine’s Day can wait. The Huskies are playing.
Impressive win.
We need to do work in Texas, and continue to “gel” as a team.
With Brimah staying on the floor, Hamilton being very effective at the 4 spot, Purvis coming into his own with drives and opportunistic shooting, and our defense, I have a feeling that if we can just get into The Dance, then we have the ability to make it a couple weekends and be a tough out…