Huskies hurdle Gators; top-ranked team done
Connecticut puts a stop to Florida’s 30-game win streak
arlington, texas » Connecticutwon two of its three national championships in the state ofTexas: 2004 in San Antonio and 2011 in Houston. Monday night at AT&T Stadium, the seventh-seeded Huskies will be going for a Lone Star hat trick.
Recovering from a horrid start, Connecticut (31-8) finished the first half with a stunning 21-6 run and therewas no need to look over its shoulder in a 63-53 victory Saturday night over top-ranked Florida, the onlyNo. 1 seed to reach the Final Four.
Florida rode a 30-game winning streak into the spacious home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, and the Gators (36-3) had been billed as perhaps the nation’s best defensive team. Connecticut had something to say about that.
“We just wanted to make them as uncomfortable aswe could,” saidUConn junior guard Ryan Boatright.
While getting 19 points from senior center Patric Young, Florida shot only 38.8 percent from the field and needed a late shooting spurt to finish that well. UConn players stayed in front of the Gators and got hands in passing lanes. Florida finished with just three assists. “That’s crazy,” said Florida senior guard Scottie Wilbekin, the SEC player of the year. “That’s not what we usually do.”
The Gators took a 16-4 lead, but thatwas long forgotten by game’s end.
Although the underdog, Connecticut had been the last team to beat Florida (6564 atUConn on Dec. 2) and took the court full of confidence. TheHuskies didn’t get rattled after scoring just two baskets in the first 11 minutes.
“I was happy with the way we stayed together and showed some true grit and toughness,” said Huskies second-year coach Kevin Ollie, a former NBA point guard.
“We didn’t point fingers when we were down,” said UConn’s All-America guard, Shabazz Napier. “We just talked about what we needed to do.”
Wilbekin was billed as one of the nation’s best on-ball defenders, but the Huskies made life miserable for Florida’s backcourt. Smaller but quicker Napier andRyan Boatrightmade the Gatorswork to even start their offense in motion.
“OnceConnecticut got their defense set, we struggled,” Florida coach BillyDonovan said. “The difference was Scottie couldn’t live in the lane like he had all season. He couldn’t get off ball screens because their quicknesswouldn’t allowhim to.”
During one telling sequence, with the spotlight shining squarely on two of the nation’s best, Wilbekin tried to get past Napier above the key with a crossover move to his right. But with shifty hands, Napier stole the dribble and fed Boatright for an uncontested layup at the other end.
That made it 47-40 Huskies and reversed the momentum for good after Florida had pulled to within 41-38 twominutes earlier.
“We keep our composure,” Napier said. “We’ve been in so many dogfights before.”
Florida guard Michael Frazier, hounded all night by Connecticut quick defenders, managed only three shots in 32 minutes and finished with three points.
“On offense we couldn’t really get anything going,” Wilbekin said. “(The Huskies) were really aggressive. And when we did get open shots, theywouldn’t fall.”
UConnwas led by DeAndreDaniels’ 20 points.