Like old times: Huskies top ’Canes
points. Christian Vital had 14 points while Brendan Adams had 13. Gilbert led UConn with seven assists and directed his teammates throughout.
The Huskies (4-2) handily topped the Hurricanes (4-3) in the first meeting between the former Big East Conference rivals in 11 years.
Bouknight, the 6-foot-4 guard from Brooklyn, N.Y., led UConn with 19 points against Xavier and continued his solid play against Miami. He made six of seven field goals and added three rebounds, two assists and a steal — all off the bench.
Miami dropped its second straight after an opening win Thursday against Missouri State. The Hurricanes fell to state rival Florida on Friday.
Dejan Vasiljevic led Miami with 11 points.
“I don’t think it’s a secret that we’re not there” yet defensively, Miami associate head coach Chris Caputo said.
The Hurricanes struggled in the second half of their past two losses. They were outscored 33-13 over the final 15 minutes of the Florida defeat and 62-35 the last 25 minutes against UConn.
Miami coach Jim Larrañaga dealt with a pulled muscle this week that limited his mobility, including on the bench where he would sit while Caputo filled the role of walking the sidelines, talking to players and officials.
Wyatt Wilkes of Orlando scored a career-high 14 points while Trent Forrest added 13 points and five rebounds as Florida State defeated Saint Francis (Pa.) 80-65 on Saturday.
Wilkes scored 26 points in his first two college seasons but has become a rotational player for the Seminoles (4-1) in November. Still, he came into the game with five points in four games before turning in an unexpected 5-of-7 performance from the floor against the Red Flash.
Myles Thompson scored a career-high 23 points, knocking down 9 of 12 shots for Saint Francis (2-4). Thompson came into the game averaging eight points.
The Red Flash lived and died by the 3-pointer, making 9 of 22 (40.9%).
Anthony Polite had eight points and seven rebounds for Florida State, which outrebounded Saint Francis 38-27.