Hartford — As losses piled up, UConn coach Kevin Ollie preached to his team to ignore the dark cloud of negativity.

Stay off social media and stay in the gym.

The Huskies listened and finally delivered a performance worthy of what they believe they can be this season: a complete basketball team. A comfortable and convincing 64-49 victory over Central Florida lifted their spirits and snapped a four-game losing streak.

"We were just more prepared today and guys were more hungry from start to finish," sophomore Jalen Adams said. "Definitely everybody is tired of losing. We know we're a much better team than our record shows. So today we just kind of actually got out there and lived up to what we seeing."

The Huskies (6-9, 1-3) seized control from the start, scoring the game's first 10 points and led by as many as 25 in the second half. Crisp ball movement led to good shots and to the Huskies shooting 47.4 percent against the nation's top field goal percentage defense. The Knights (12-4, 3-1), whose winning streak stopped at five, had allowed foes to convert an icy 32.2 percent.

"Our offense came alive," Ollie said. "I think they're the top defensive team in the country. For us to get 47 percent shooting against those guys, we really moved the basketball and executed on the offensive end. I really believe that was our most complete game. Now we've just got to keep building on it."

The Huskies rode a balanced attack, as all five starters scored at least eight points. Redshirt senior Rodney Purvis, who came in sinking a career-low 32 percent from the field, sent a surge of energy into his team by draining two 3-pointers in the first 2 minutes, 51 seconds.

"It was huge," Purvis said of his early 3-pointers. "I think I have been waiting for those the whole entire season. I was happy to see the ball go in and my teammates finding me and just staying confident in myself."

Purvis finished with a team-high 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting. He survived a scare in the first half, briefly leaving the game after apparently hurting his left shoulder reaching for a ball. He went to the locker room but quickly returned and finished the game strong.

UConn's active 7-foot senior center Amida Brimah won the battle of the low post giants, holding 7-foot-6 Tacko Fall scoreless. Fall, who averages 14.3 points, missed his only field goal attempt while Brimah had nine points, six rebounds and five blocks.

"This game was marked on the calendar, so I just came out aggressive," Brimah said. "I just came out ready to play."

Without a reliable inside presence, the Knights struggled, making only 6 of 28 field goals in the first half, and sinking 33.3 percent overall. UCF also committed 14 turnovers.

The Huskies never let up even with a 17-point halftime lead, their biggest advantage at halftime this season. They continued to apply pressure on both ends and made four of their first five shots. Freshman Vance Jackson's 3-pointer pushed the led to 44-22.

"We really wanted to establish that we weren't satisfied with our first-half performance," Ollie said.

Jackson finished with 11 points. He's had consecutive double-figure scoring games for only the second time this season.

Another positive sign: the play of Adams, who bounced back from a rough game in Thursday's loss at Memphis. He contributed 10 points, seven assists, five rebounds and three steals but did have six turnovers.

So there was plenty for the Huskies to feel good about. They will attempt to win two in a row for the first time in just over a month on Wednesday against Temple in Storrs.

Ollie will continue to preach his positive message.

"We made a pledge that we were going to stay connected," Ollie said. "You can't really look at the record because that's just going to bring stress and pressure on you. You've got to look at the process. We're going to just keep trying to compete and work hard.

"If we play like that, the record will take care of itself. ... You can't be reading all the stuff on social media because that will get you down. You've really got to focus on the things you can control."

g.keefe@theday.com