Field Level Media
Feb 22, 2018
Gary Clark helped No. 11 Cincinnati snap out of its funk, scoring a game-high 17 points to power the Bearcats in a 77-52 rout of Connecticut in Atlantic Athletic Conference play Thursday night at BB&T Arena in Highland Heights, Ky.
Cincinnati (24-4, 13-2 AAC) had lost back-to-back games against Houston and then-No. 19 Wichita State. The Cougars ended the Bearcats' nation-leading 16-game winning streak, and the Shockers snapped Cincinnati's nation-best 39-game home win streak.
Christian Vital finished with 15 points and seven rebounds, and Terry Larrier had 14 points and nine boards for Connecticut (13-15, 6-9). The Huskies, who were unable to build off their 84-80 triumph at East Carolina on Sunday, have dropped eight of their past 11.
The Bearcats have won their past five meetings with the Huskies, with UConn's most recent victory a wild 104-97 win in quadruple overtime in the regular-season finale of the 2015-16 season.
Cane Broome had 13 points, Trevor Moore added 12 and Tre Scott totaled nine points and a team-high nine rebounds for the Bearcats, who shot 45.2 percent (28-for-62) for the game.
Antwoine Anderson added nine points on 3-of-15 shooting as UConn hit just 29.5 percent (18-for-61) from the floor on the night.
Josh Carlton's layup with 19:31 remaining brought the Huskies within 40-27, but they were unable to come any closer. Cincinnati led by as many as 28 after that.
The Bearcats were on top 38-25 at halftime.
Vital opened the game with a 3-pointer, and a Clark jumper followed by two Jacob Evans free throws gave Cincinnati some separation in the early minutes.
UConn also dropped its first meeting with Cincinnati this season on Feb. 3, losing 65-57 at home against the then-No. 8 ranked Bearcats.
Cincinnati wraps up its three-game homestand Sunday against Tulsa. UConn hosts Memphis on Sunday.
--Field Level Media