University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
1-1,0-0AAC
Saint Joseph's University
2-1,0-0Atlantic 10
MBB Rally Comes up Short, Huskies Fall to Saint Joseph’s
11/13/2019 10:13:00 PM | Men's Basketball
STORRS, Conn. – The UConn men's basketball team nearly erased a 16-point halftime deficit to Saint Joseph's, but the comeback bid fell short as the Huskies fell, 96-87, Wednesday night at Gampel Pavilion. UConn drops to 1-1 on the season while SJU improves to 2-1.
Christian Vital led UConn with 26 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. Three other Huskies reached double-digit scoring, including Alterique Gilbert who poured in 22 points of his own.
SJU opened up a 46-19 advantage late in the first half behind hot shooting from Ryan Daly, who scored 21 of his game-high 30 points in the first half. UConn would outscore the Hawks 19-8 over the final seven minutes of the half to close the gap to 16.
The Hawks led by as much as 22 in the second period, but the Huskies never folded. Ignited by Tyler Polley's triple following a forced turnover, UConn went on a 21-4 run to cut their deficit to four, 73-69.
The teams traded blows across the final eight minutes. Brendan Adams drained a triple from the right side to make it 77-74 with five minutes remaining, but free throws and a late triple from Daly allowed the Hawks to escape with the nine-point win.
