Storrs - Another late game breakdown, another stunning defeat.

A season removed from winning the national championship, UConn is finding ways to lose.

Friday's stunning 45-44 loss to Yale - the first defeat to an in-state foe since 1986, ending a streak of 68 straight wins - looked hauntingly familiar to Sunday's game against Texas.

This time, Yale's Jack Montague buried a game-winning 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds left.

"It's hurtful," redshirt sophomore Sam Cassell Jr. said. "Both shots hit to me the heart. Seeing both shots go in the same way, it's crazy."

The scenario played out almost exactly the way as Sunday when Texas' Jonathan Holmes connected with two seconds remaining from the same corner as Montague coming out of a timeout.

"That corner is not my favorite corner," coach Kevin Ollie said.

Once again, the Huskies (3-3) suffered a defensive breakdown and senior Ryan Boatright missed a free throw to leave the door open. This time, he misfired from the line with 11 seconds remaining.

A miscommunication led to Montague being left open off of Justin Sears' inbounds pass. Boatright called out a switch with Cassell, who was late to react.

It was Montague's only field goal of the game after six misses.

"I guess the man guarding me got caught up in (traffic) and I felt like I was open," Montague said. "I let it loose from there."

Yale (9-2) had dropped 13 straight in the series, last winning a 77-75 overtime decision on Dec. 2, 1986.

"I told the guys in the locker room no matter how old they get, they'll remember this for the rest of their lives," Yale coach James Jones said.

It will be awhile before UConn forgets, too.

The Huskies head into the exam break having lost three straight for the first time since near the end of the 2012-13 season. They were beaten badly on the boards (36-25) and grabbed only one offensive rebound.

They are playing more like a group of individuals than a team, Ollie said.

"We've got to find some toughness in that locker room somewhere, because I'm not a loser and the guys in that locker room are not losers," Ollie said. "We're at the bottom right now."

"We either stick together as a group and fight and try to go win against Coppin State, or we point the finger and make excuses and separate. When I come back to practice, I'm going to find the guys that are going to stay in the middle of the ring. … It's an embarrassment."

UConn is off until hosting Coppin State on Dec. 14. The Huskies need time to heal, physically and mentally.

Boatright battled through a sprained left ankle that he suffered against Texas. He scored a season-low six points and had four turnovers. Rodney Purvis (high left ankle sprain) played just eight ineffective minutes before sitting out the second half while reserve Omar Calhoun (knee) was sidelined.

The offensively-challenged Huskies fought from behind nearly the entire game, falling in a 22-9 hole and trailing 24-19 at the break. They shot just 34.8 percent in the first half, 44.2 overall.

"We didn't come out aggressive," sophomore Amida Brimah said.

Brimah, who had a season-high tying 14 points, provided a temporary lift by scoring eight of the team's first 12 points to start the second half.

UConn tightened its defensive grip. Boatright's steal and dunk handed the Huskies only their second lead of the game, 38-37, with 7:02 remaining before falling behind again.

A goaltending call on Boatright's reverse layup and Cassell's two free throws put UConn on top, 44-40. Cassell finished with 12 points.

After Sears, who finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds, converted two free throws to cut the deficit to two with 13.7 seconds left, Boatright misfired on the front end of a 1-on-1.

Montague finished off the stumbling Huskies, hitting Yale's only field goal in the final 6:45. The Bulldogs shot just 32.7 percent overall.

"When you get down 13 points, you've got to play a perfect game," Ollie said. "Once again, we missed a free throw at the end and they get a 3-pointer. It was just a lack of communication. That comes down on me."

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @GavinKeefe