Huskies Upset No. 15 Florida

UConn’s Josh Carlton jostles with freshman forward

Omar Payne of Florida for the ball. UConn upset

No. 15 Florida, 62-59.

STORRS—Call this one a statement game, if you will. Senior Christian Vital registered 15 points, five assists and four rebounds and Tyler Polley added 15 points and five rebounds of his own as the UConn men's basketball team (2-1) knocked off No. 15 Florida (2-2), 62-59, in front of an electric sellout crowd Sunday afternoon at Gampel Pavilion. 

Josh Carlton and Alterique Gilbert also scored in double digits for Connecticut, putting up 13 and 10 points, respectively. The Huskies displayed a strong overall game, winning the battle of the boards by out-rebounding the Gators 38-37, scoring more second chance points (9-5) and registering two more assists than the visitors.

This was UConn's first win over a ranked opponent at Gampel since UConn beat Florida back in Dec. 2, 2013. The Gators were ranked No. 15 nationally back on that date too.

After Florida opened the contest with a 6-0 run, Polley got Connecticut on the scoreboard with a second-chance layup. On the ensuing possessions, Isaiah Whaley knocked down a jumper from the right side and Vital scored seven quick points to give UConn an 11-6 lead.

Florida responded to tie the game at 18-18 with 4:17 left in the half, but Polley's triple following an offensive rebound and feed from Vital gave UConn a lead they wouldn't relinquish for the rest of the half. The Huskies scored seven of the final nine points to take a 25-20 lead into the break.

Kerry Blackshear's three-pointer knotted the score at 29 early in the half. Polley responded with back-to-back triples of his own and then a couple plays later, Vital knocked down a pull-up jumper to open up a 39-31 lead.

But the 15th-ranked Gators wouldn't go quietly and chipped their way back into the game, drawing within a point, 54-53, as the teams headed into the final media timeout.

UConn and UF traded blow for blow during the final stretch of regulation. Then, leading by a point with the shot clock winding down, Gilbert lulled his defender to sleep before draining a tough mid-range jumper to put the Huskies up 60-57 with 1:27 remaining in regulation. After the Gators answered with a quick score, Vital was fouled and knocked down two free throws to give the Huskies a three-point lead with 17 seconds left on the clock. But it wasn’t over yet.

Florida had one last chance to send the game into overtime. Andrew Nembhard misfired on his attempt, got the rebound and kicked the ball out to Keyontae Johnson. Johnson's pass was picked off by Vital, and the senior dribbled out the clock as UConn grabbed the 62-59 victory.

With the win, the Huskies improve to 2-1 while the Gators fall to 2-2. Next up for Connecticut will be a game at Buffalo where the Huskies will take on the 2-1 University at Buffalo Bulls on Thursday. Tip-off is at 9 p.m., and the game will be televised on ESPNU. All UConn games are broadcast on the UConn IMG Radio Network.

—Staff Reports

#uconnmbb #uconn #BleedBlue #uconnhuskies #ThisIsUConn #huskies #uconnnation #gators #gatorshoop @gatorsmbk #WeChomp

The Gators came racing out of the gate, scoring the first six points of the contest. But the Huskies responded with an 11-0 run to grab a five point early in the game. The Gators stormed back to knot the score at 18-18 with 4:17 remaining in the half, 25-20 at intermission.

A trey by Florida’s Kerry Blackshear knotted the score again a 29 apiece early in the second half. Polley answered with back-to-back three-pointers, followed by a pull-up jumper by Vital to give the Huskies a 36-31 advantage early in the second half.

Having him out there is cr[BP1] itical,” said Carlton on Polley’s importance to the team. “He’s a guy that can shoot and rise up any defender that’s 6-9 and knock down threes. Any time we need a bucket he comes out with a clutch three.”

“In my opinion, he’s the best shooter in the country,” added Gilbert. “I tell him that, Coach tells him that, and we’re going to continue to preach that to him.”

The Gators regrouped and outscored the Huskies 22-15, highlighted by a trey from Andrew Nembhard, cutting the UConn lead to the slimmest of margins, 54-53, with 3:25 remaining in regulation. The teams swapped buckets down the stretch before Gilbert drained a mid-range jumper to stake the Huskies to a 60-57 lead with a 1:27 remaining in regulation. Florida answered with a layup bay Keyontae Gilbert in transition. After a missed three-point attempt by Polley followed by a missed short-ranged jumper by Nembhard, a steal by Vital with six ticks left on the clock finally sealed the deal for the Huskies.

“Year two, game three—[the] crowd was awesome,” said Huskies’ head coach Dan Hurley after the game. The students were incredible. It gave the lift that we need when we’re playing at home.”

After praising the crowd, Hurley lavished praise on his team.

“I’m really proud of the guys,” he continued. “We were locked in defensively. [The] guys followed the game plan to a ‘T.’

With the win, Connecticut improves to 2-1, while Florida slips to 2-2. Now it’s off to South Carolina where the Huskies will face Buffalo in the first round of the Charleston Classic on Thursday. Tip-off is at 9 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised on ESPNU and ESPN News.

—with staff reports