UCONN
tional three-point play with 11.7 seconds left.
Jenifer missed a pair of foul shots with 7.8 seconds left, and the Huskies had a chance to win or tie. But Vital lost the handle on the ball out on the wing, then committed an offensive foul with 1.5 seconds remaining. Cincy actually turned the ball over at midcourt, but Sid Wilson’s desperation trey came after the buzzer (and missed, anyway).
The Huskies played well for most of the first half and trailed by just a point at halftime. But Cincinnati scored the first six points of the latter half and gradually upped its lead to 11.
UConn got off to an 11-3 start and didn’t trial for the first 14 minutes of play. But the Huskies started getting careless with the ball and had increasing trouble getting off good shots against the Bearcats’ matchup zone. Cincinnati led by five with 1:40 left in the half, but 3-pointers by Adams and Tarin Smith — sandwiched around a Nyser Brooks jump hook — got the Huskies to within one (33-32) at halftime.
The Bearcats have now beat UConn six straight games, and are an Adams 75-footer away from having now won the last nine meetings.
UConn hasn’t won at Fifth Third Arena since Feb. 27, 2011, a stretch of seven straight losses.
RIM RATTLINGS:
▶ Longtime UConn radio analyst Wayne Norman was unable to go on the air for the second game in a row due to a bout with pharyngitis. Norman, who didn’t even make it to Gampel Pavilion for UConn’s win over SMU Thursday night, made the trip to Cincinnati. However, his voice just wasn’t strong enough for the radio broadcast.
UConn men’s basketball SID Phil Chardis helped out play-by-play man Mike Crispino on the broadcast. ▶ Due to snowy conditions Saturday night in Cincinnati, the Huskies were slated to make about an 90-minute bus ride to Lex- ington, Kentucky after the game and fly back to Hartford via charter from there.