Written by Adrian Beecher
Hartford, CT -Ryan Boatright scored 21 points to lead the Huskies in a 47-42 win over Tulsa in the American Athletic Conference Semifinal’s . The win gives the Huskies a chance to seal a spot in the big dance and defend their National Championship from last season.
The Huskies struggled early for the second night in a row as they went scoreless until Ryan Boatright drilled a triple with 12:10 left in the 1st half to cut the Tulsa lead to 4. Boatright scored 9 of the Huskies 19 first half points and added 2 rebounds.
After UConn got on the board, the Hurricane went 2 for 7 from the field and turned the ball over twice, allowing the Huskies to take a 15-11 lead with 7:54 left to play in the 1st half. Tulsa took the lead back at the 4-minute mark with two free throws from Brandon Swannegan to make it 18-17.
Tulsa shot just 30% from the field and 18% from 3-point land in the first half as they went to the locker-room with a 23-19 lead on the hometown Huskies. UConn was a slightly better 38.1% from the field but a much better 50% from beyond the arc contributed to them staying in the game.
Shaquille Harrison opened up the 2nd half for the Hurricane with a 3-pointer to extend Tulsa’s lead to 7 for the first time since the Huskies were scoreless. UConn then spent the majority of the 2nd half trying their best to chip away at Tulsa’s lead.
With 6:35 left to play in the game the Hurricane had opened up a 10 point lead on UConn. With a little help from the crowd, the Huskies went on a 13-3 run to tie the game up at 41 with just 1:44 left to play and the XL Center rockin’.
“Man, when you're tired and gasping for air and things ain't going your way, that crowd is the thing that pulls you through. The screaming and emotion and the support that they give us all year through our ups and downs, we just want to continue to fight and give them a show and give them something to cheer for.” said Boatright of the impact of the crowd support at the XL Center.
Tulsa took the lead back momentarily with a free throw to make it 42-41, but Rodney Purvis drained a jumper that put the Huskies in the lead for the first time since there was 4:01 left in the first half. The crowd exploded and it was easy to see that the momentum had clearly changed in favor of UConn.
Tulsa was forced to play the foul game and Huskies guard Boatright took the duties at the line and drilled 4 straight shots from the line to send UConn to the AAC Championship game on Sunday. The Huskies 47-42 win punched their ticket to face SMU and a chance to win an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
UConn will face the No. 1 seeded SMU Mustangs in the American Athletic Conference Championship game at 3:15 pm at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on ESPN.
The Huskies struggled early for the second night in a row as they went scoreless until Ryan Boatright drilled a triple with 12:10 left in the 1st half to cut the Tulsa lead to 4. Boatright scored 9 of the Huskies 19 first half points and added 2 rebounds.
After UConn got on the board, the Hurricane went 2 for 7 from the field and turned the ball over twice, allowing the Huskies to take a 15-11 lead with 7:54 left to play in the 1st half. Tulsa took the lead back at the 4-minute mark with two free throws from Brandon Swannegan to make it 18-17.
Tulsa shot just 30% from the field and 18% from 3-point land in the first half as they went to the locker-room with a 23-19 lead on the hometown Huskies. UConn was a slightly better 38.1% from the field but a much better 50% from beyond the arc contributed to them staying in the game.
Shaquille Harrison opened up the 2nd half for the Hurricane with a 3-pointer to extend Tulsa’s lead to 7 for the first time since the Huskies were scoreless. UConn then spent the majority of the 2nd half trying their best to chip away at Tulsa’s lead.
With 6:35 left to play in the game the Hurricane had opened up a 10 point lead on UConn. With a little help from the crowd, the Huskies went on a 13-3 run to tie the game up at 41 with just 1:44 left to play and the XL Center rockin’.
“Man, when you're tired and gasping for air and things ain't going your way, that crowd is the thing that pulls you through. The screaming and emotion and the support that they give us all year through our ups and downs, we just want to continue to fight and give them a show and give them something to cheer for.” said Boatright of the impact of the crowd support at the XL Center.
Tulsa took the lead back momentarily with a free throw to make it 42-41, but Rodney Purvis drained a jumper that put the Huskies in the lead for the first time since there was 4:01 left in the first half. The crowd exploded and it was easy to see that the momentum had clearly changed in favor of UConn.
Tulsa was forced to play the foul game and Huskies guard Boatright took the duties at the line and drilled 4 straight shots from the line to send UConn to the AAC Championship game on Sunday. The Huskies 47-42 win punched their ticket to face SMU and a chance to win an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
UConn will face the No. 1 seeded SMU Mustangs in the American Athletic Conference Championship game at 3:15 pm at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on ESPN.