Notes & Quotes: UConn Holds On Against USF
STORRS, Conn. – At this point in the season, the UConn Huskies just wanted to win again.
The Huskies had to battle South Florida down to the wire in an ugly tussle between struggling American Athletic Conference teams Sunday afternoon at Gampel Pavilion, but they got the victory, 60-58.
UConn made just enough foul shots down the stretch to snap a six-game losing skid and triumph over the Bulls in front of 9,034 fans – including Hall of Famer Ray Allen.
“I feel like we deserve one of those,” UConn head coach Dan Hurley said. “I thought we battled, defensively battled.
“Obviously, we struggled to find guys that can score,” added Hurley, whose team was once again without leading scorer Jalen Adams (knee).
“We have to play high-level defense, we got to be gritty and I thought we were that today.”
Ironically, on a day the program honored one of its best by retiring his No. 34 in the rafters, the Huskies would go 0-for-15 from behind the 3-point line. It snapped a streak of 338 games, dating back to Nov. 27, 2009, with UConn making at least one three-pointer.
“I’ll say the 0-for-15 had a lot to do with him being here today,” joked Hurley of Allen, who is the NBA’s all-time leading 3-point shooter. “The players couldn’t handle the pressure of a shooter of that caliber being in the building.”
But in the end, it didn’t matter. Josh Carlton posted a solid 16 points and nine rebounds – he also had a team-high three assists – and Alterique Gilbert chipped in with 15 for the Huskies (5-11 AAC, 14-15 overall).
UConn improved to 8-0 at Gampel this season with one game left there.
“We love Gampel because of the atmosphere,” Gilbert said.
David Collins led the Bulls (7-9, 18-11) with 17 points, while Alexis Yetna added 15. USF has lost five straight to conference foes and its lone win over the last six games was over NAIA Florida College.
WHAT WENT WELL
A win's a win: The Huskies just needed to win after posting a 1-6 record in February, and they did just enough to snap their skid. After USF took a 54-53 lead with 1:04 left, Gilbert put UConn in front for good with a jumper in the paint and the Huskies finished the job by going 7-for-10 at the foul line (20-for-27 overall).
Hurley’s take: “This is a group that desperately needed a win and now it gives us some confidence going into the last home game here where we’ve won every game this year. … This at least puts us in position going into the next game to get back at .500, which certainly means a lot to me.”
Gilbert’s take: “It just felt good to get a win, get out of the funk. Better energy around, and now we have some oxygen to breath. …I’m just glad we won, I really am.”
Stopping the Bulls: UConn lost the first meeting between the schools this season - 76-68 in Florida – and a big reason why was the Huskies inability to slow down the Bulls’ guards. Collins got his points again, but the defense was effective in stopping Laquincy Rideau (3-for-12, eight points) and Justin Brown (two points).
Gilbert’s take: “We wanted to string out the ball screens, keep their point guards out of the lane because they make plays when they get in the lane. We strung out the ball screens and talked more.”
One-Man Army: Carlton continues to make strides in his second season with the Huskies and was basically the team’s lone inside weapon against the mighty Bulls. USF crushed UConn on the boards 46-33, but Carlton held his own inside when not in foul trouble. The Huskies also outscored USF in the paint, 36-30. It was Carlton’s sixth game scoring in double digits at Gampel, where he came in averaging 12.5 points.
Carlton’s take: “We play our best basketball here at Gampel and we were confidence being back in here on our court. I don’t know, it just feels like home and we’re able to get a lot of shots up here.”
Hurley’s take: “When Josh gets an offseason to work on his body that guys going to be a real good player. He’s kind of I don’t want to say not as physically developed as their front-line guys, but they have some serious size and length and athletes and men out there today. And he kind of battled them, I don’t want to say by himself, but he was really the only post guy dealing with their three or four bigs.”
Ray Allen: The former Husky and NCAA superstar gave an outstanding speech at halftime after being introduced by Jim Calhoun. Allen also spoke to the media about the honor of being the first UConn men's basketball player to have his number retired.
WHAT NEEDS WORK
EVERYTHING! Hurley will be the first one to tell you this UConn squad has some major issues, and one win is not going to correct them all at once. It will take time and growing pains, just like this win was painful to watch.
RECRUITING WATCH
It was a busy day for the Huskies with official visits from three Class of 2020 targets: 6-foot-6 guard Andre Jackson (Albany, N.Y.), forward Noah Collier (Westtown) and guard Cam Thomas (Oak Hill) this weekend. … Also, in attendance were 2020 forward Richard Springs (MacDuffie) and Putnam Science Academy’s Hassan Diarra and Kareem Reid. PSA’s Demarr Langford was also expected but did not attend. … The Huskies also had 2019 commits Jalen Gaffney and James Bouknight in the stands along with freshman Akok Akok on the bench.
Hurley’s take: “It’s been awhile since we’ve struggled this way, so I just think it’s so fitting to have Akok here with James and Jalen and have some others in the house here experiencing what Gampel can be like when you have a great crowd.”
MISC.
Among the former Huskies in attendance for Allen’s ceremony were coach Jim Calhoun, former assistant Howie Dickenman, and players Donyell Marshall and Kurt King among others. … The Huskies last went undefeated in Storrs in 2008-09.
UP NEXT
Thursday, vs. Temple, 7 p.m. at Gampel Pavilion.