Hartford — A month or so ago, junior Isaiah Whaley usually caused a small ripple while in the game.

He’s making a big splash now.

Thanks in part to Whaley’s valuable contribution, UConn is soaring at the perfect time.

The Huskies won for the fifth time in the last seven games, beating Central Florida, 81-65, in American Athletic Conference action at the XL Center.

Whaley finished with a career-high tying 18 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks, as the Huskies (16-12, 7-8) equaled last season’s overall win total and surpassed last season’s AAC victory mark. They went 16-17, 6-12 in 2018-19.

“He had to wait his turn a lot longer than other people,” senior Christian Vital said of Whaley. “Now that he got his turn, he’s taking it and running with it. We’re not winning these games without him.”

Whaley is playing the best basketball of his career, averaging 14.6 points and 10 rebounds in the last three games as a starter.

“It feels really good...,” Whaley said. “My mentality has been the same — just go hard, take what’s given to me and never try to do too much. … I’m pretty confident right now. The coaches are confident in me, that’s what gave me a lot of confidence. I’m just going to continue to do what I can to help the team.”

Whaley’s role has expanded since starting forward Akok Akok went down with a season-ending injury on Feb. 16 against Memphis. But his game was on the rise before that.

His personality hasn’t changed.

“For a guy that plays with such intensity and all-out effort, he’s pretty quiet,” coach Dan Hurley said. “He’s a soft-spoken guy. He’s like the greatest teammate in the world. Everything he does, he’s a maximum effort guy — in the classroom and as a teammate, working on his game.

“He’s just a selfless guy that you can win with.”

The Huskies also received a terrific all-around effort from Vital, who chipped in 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals in his final career game in Hartford. Freshman James Bouknight continued his tear, contributing 16 points and seven rebounds.

Accustomed to playing nail-biters, UConn posted just its third double-digit victory since late December.

Holding a slim four-point lead early in the second half, UConn took off on a 16-4 run to establish a 58-42 advantage with 11 minutes, 35 second remaining.

Whaley jump-started the spurt with a hard dunk. A few minutes later, his nifty pass set up sophomore Brendan Adams (nine points) for a foul-inducing layup. Adams made the free throw.

When Whaley went to the bench with UConn up by 11, the largest lead thus far, the XL Center crowd gave the junior forward a warm and hearty ovation.

On Wednesday, Whaley scored in double figures for the fifth time in the last 11 games. He had not scored more than seven points in any of his previous 16 games. It was his fourth double-double this season.

Entering the game, Whaley had played 441 minutes this season, far more than his 82 minutes last season.

“He’s gotten more comfortable on offense,” Hurley said. “The more minutes that he’s gotten, it’s allowed him to settle in and not be as anxious and nervous. … In recruiting, we’ll use him as an example of player development, no doubt.”

UConn only trailed once — 18-16 — and led 36-32 at the break. Whaley had 10 points and five rebounds, already better than his season averages of 4.7 and 4.5.

It was a choppy first half as both teams experienced lulls on the offensive and defensive ends. The Huskies got off to a fast start, sinking six of their first seven field goals and building a seven-point edge.

But the Knights (14-13, 5-10), who’ve undergone some major changes since their NCAA tournament season last year, seized a brief lead with a 14-5 run.

UConn responded, surging in front for good with a 9-0 run. The Huskies passed around the scoring baton as sophomore Brendan Adams, Whaley, Bouknight and Gaffney all scored to make it 25-18.

The Huskies were still searching for that extra gear needed to pull away, so the game remained close until early in the second half.

They eventually hit their stride, leading by as many as 19 points.

With the win, they’ll avoid a fourth straight losing season. They’ve continued to improve despite losing starters Tyler Polley and Akok to season-ending injuries.

“It’s huge,” Hurley said. “This was a massive rebuild across the board. Not even in just one area, but a whole lot of areas. … We’ve shown real progress here. It’s the next step that we’re taking.”

g.keefe@theday.com