UConn gets another lift from Whaley
Big man has 18 points, 11 rebounds as Huskies topple Central Florida
Hartford — A month or so ago, junior Isaiah Whaley only caused a small ripple while in the game. He's making a big splash now. Thanks in part to Whaley's valuable contribution, UConn is soaring at the perfect time.
The Huskies won for the fifth time in the last seven games, beating Central Florida 81-65 in an American Athletic Conference game at the XL Center on Wednesday night.
Whaley finished with a career-high tying 18 points and 11 rebounds as the Huskies (16-12, 7-8) equaled last season's overall win total and surpassed last season's AAC victory mark. They went 16-17, 6-12 in 2018-19.
Playing in his final career game in Hartford, senior Christian Vital chipped in 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Freshman James Bouknight continued his tear, contributing 16 points and seven rebounds.
Accustomed to playing nail-biters, UConn posted its third double-digit victory since late December.
Holding a slim four-point lead, UConn took off on a 16-4 run to
establish a 58-42 advantage with 11 minutes, 35 second remaining.
Whaley jumpstarted the spurt with a hard dunk.
A few minutes later, his nifty pass set up sophomore Brendan Adams for a foul-inducing layup. Adams made the free throw.
When Whaley went to the bench with UConn up by 11, the XL Center crowd gave the junior forward a warm and hearty ovation.
His role expanded when the Huskies lost redshirt freshman Akok Akok with a season-ending injury on Feb. 16 against Memphis.
But his game was on the rise well before that.
On Wednesday, Whaley scored in double figures for the fifth time in the last 11 games. He had not scored more than seven points in any of previous 16 games. It was his fourth double-double.
Entering the game, Whaley had played 441 minutes this season, far more than his 82 minutes last season.
UConn only trailed once — 18-16 — and led 36-32 at the break. Whaley already had 10 points and five rebounds, already better than his season averages of 4.7 and 4.5.
It was a choppy first half as both teams experienced lulls on the offensive and defensive ends. The Huskies got off to a fast start, sinking six of their first seven field goals and building a seven-point edge.
But the Knights (14-13, 5-10), who've undergone some major changes since their NCAA tournament season last year, seized the lead with a 14-5 run. They attacked UConn's soft inside, a problem ever since the Huskies lost Akok, their best interior defender.
UConn responded, surging in front with a 9-0 run. The Huskies passed around the scoring baton as Adams, Whaley, Bouknight and Gaffney all scored to make it 25-18.
The Huskies were still searching for that extra gear needed to pull away, so the game remained close.
They eventually hit their stride early in the second half, leading by as many as 19 points.
Next up, a road trip to East Carolina on Saturday. UConn plays two of its last three regular season games on the road. g.keefe@theday.com