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    Monday, May 06, 2024

    Post-game breakdown: South Florida

    UConn completed a successful road trip on Tuesday.

    The Huskies went undefeated in the SunshineState, beating Florida Saturday and then South Florida, 58-44, at the Sun Dome.

    “All-around, a good game by us,” coach Kevin Ollie said. “I appreciate the effort from the guys.”

    They’re on a bit of a roll, winning four of their last five games. They improved to 8-5 overall, 1-1 in the American Athletic Conference.

    Here’s a post-game breakdown:

    -- Let’s start with a balanced attack.

    Nine different players scored in the win. No one took more than eight shots.

    Sophomore Amida Brimah (13 points) and senior Ryan Boatright (10 points) are the only Huskies who hit double figures.

    “They did a great job of doubling me,” Boatright said. “I’m hurt, so I can’t really be the player that I am. So we need guys to step up. They came in and took care of their minutes.”

    Boatright’s bruised left thigh continues to bother him. He played 31 minutes and also battled foul trouble.

     -- Check out my game story that covers the game-changing contribution of the bench, including freshman Rakim Lubin and junior college transfer Sam Cassell Jr., two players with Florida ties.

     -- Brimah was a force under the basket for the second straight game.

    He blocked a season-high six shots and also grabbed a team best eight rebounds. His rebounding numbers have been on the rise in recent weeks.

    He averaged nine rebounds during the road trip.

     -- Lubin, who’s from Miami and attended high school in Georgia, had his personal fan club there. He had four points and three rebounds while playing in front of his parents, grandparents and siblings.

     -- UConn cranked up the defensive intensity late in the first half and carried it over to the second half. South Florida shot 38.3 percent overall, just 31.8 percent (7-for-22) in the second half.

    “When we needed a stop, we got a stop,” Ollie said.

    The Bulls had a season low for points.

     -- Reserve guard Terrence Samuel was upset about his performance in an overtime loss to Temple on Dec. 31.

    He’s played considerably better in the last two games. He finished with four points, a career-high tying seven rebounds, four assists and just one turnover in 18 minutes against South Florida.  

    “That’s a great contribution from your back-up point guard,” Ollie said. “We’re going to have to have that each and every game.”

     -- The Huskies started the game making just 3-of-15 field goal attempts. Then they went 9-for-15 to take the lead for good, holding a 28-24 edge at the break. They shot 47.1 percent overall.

    They improved to 5-0 this season when leading at halftime.

     -- UConn had more assists (13) than turnovers (eight) for only the fifth time this season. The Huskies won the rebounding battle, 33-29.

     -- Former Husky Rashad Anderson, who’s from Lakeland, attended the game. He also went to practice on Monday. He kidded with the UConn beat writers about having to return home to the cold weather.

     -- The rebuilding Bulls (7-9, 1-2) have lost eight of their last 10 games.

    -- A season-high 6,128 fans turned out for the game.

     -- Up next: UConn hosts Cincinnati Saturday morning (11 a.m.) at the XL Center in Hartford.

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