#24 UConn (20-5, 8-4) won an overtime thriller against #20 Memphis (19-6, 8-4) before a sell-out crowd in Hartford on Saturday. The game was an instant classic that featured fast-paced play by both teams, incredible moments and near-misses.
Memphis held a three point lead late in regulation, and looked ready to seal the victory. Shabazz Napier missed a potential game-tying three-pointer only to get the ball back on a fantastic Phil Nolan offensive rebound. Napier made the most of his second chance, driving to the rim and completing an and-one to tie the game with 52 seconds left.
The Tigers had dominated UConn inside all game, and looked to big man Shaq Goodwin in the low block. DeAndre Daniels made a great recovery play, blocking Goodwin’s shot towards the first row. A scramble ensued, once again led by Nolan, and (after some capitulating by the refereeing crew) a shot-clock violation was called, giving UConn a chance to play for the win.
Of course, the ball ended up back in Napier’s hands. He dribbled the clock down to five seconds, made a quick move, then launched. His three-pointed circled the rim, dipped below the cylinder for a moment, then fell out.
It was Memphis’ only lucky break of the game, but their momentum wouldn’t last long. UConn dominated the overtime period. Ryan Boatright scored eight points in the extra period alone. Napier added six more. With Memphis desperately fouling down the stretch to close the gap, UConn buried their free throws and secured a signature victory.
Napier played on another level. He passed both Cliff Robinson and Wes Bialosuknia on UConn’s all-time scoring list — where he now sits alone in eight place — and kept going. He recorded a career-high 34 points in the game, bolstered by nine free throws on 12 attempts.
Despite Napier’s heroics, their most important player on Saturday may have been Ryan Boatright. With Napier on the bench for a long stretch of time in the first half — a fluke where the clock didn’t stop game action for several minutes — Boatright calmly led the team on offense, keeping them in the game. He was only 1-4 from the floor in the first, but did record five assists and six points, going 4-4 from the foul line.
Down the stretch, Boatright showed his meddle. He buried two huge three-pointers and abused Memphis’ guards — or maybe they abused him — getting to the line for 12 free throws, of which he hit 11. Boatright finished with 21 points — his first 20+ point game of the season — led the team with six assists, and played over 40 minutes.
The final score, UConn 86 – Memphis 81, can be attributed to UConn’s tenacity and two key statistical categories. UConn attempted 36 free throws (hitting 29) to Memphis’ nine (they made six). The Tigers also committed 18 turnovers to UConn’s six. Hitting foul shots and taking care of the ball allowed the Huskies to overcome losing the battle on the boards 38-28, giving up 42 points in the paint, and allowing Memphis to shoot 54.8% for the game.
The victory will look good on UConn’s tournament resumé. The Huskies have now reached the 20-win mark and are all but assured a spot in the tournament come March. But this was also a moral victory. It proved that UConn can win a lot of different ways, and won’ t go down without a fight.
Notes:
- Boatright collected his 1,000th career point in the game. Congrats to him.
- Phil Nolan did yeoman’s work on defense against Shaq Goodwin — who scored seven points and got six rebounds. With Ollie choosing Nolan over Amida, Brimah, he was rewarded with a good defensive effort.
- Brimah’s benching was curious, in that UConn was giving up a ton of layups with no one protecting the rim.
- Lasan Kromah played 41 minutes in the game, a career-high.
- Great XL Center crowd today…once they were let in the building. Fans were trapped outside as the arena attempted to funnel several hundred people through two open doors. The game sold out, but many spectators didn’t make it into XL until several minutes into the first half. Unacceptable.
Up Next:
UConn travels to Philly to take on Temple on Thursday night (Feb. 20th). Tip is 9pm again, and the game will be on ESPN.
