CINCINNATI _ UConn had another chance to measure up against one of the better teams in the country, but came up short.
The Huskies were short physical toughness, short on poise, unable to match Cincinnati's bulky, but versatile big men and were ultimately blown out with a barrage of 3-point shots.
The 14th-ranked Bearcats, up six with 18{ minutes to play, broke it open with an 11-0 spurt and went on to an 82-68 victory before 13,428 Saturday at Fifth Third Arena. It wasn't that close; UConn fell 26 points behind midway through the second half.
The Huskies (10-12, 5-5 American Athletic Conference) go back to work against the lower half of the league on Wednesday against South Florida at Gampel Pavilion. Out of its safe zone, UConn has lost one-sided games on the road against the top teams, SMU and now Cincinnati (21-2, 10-0).
Gary Clark (20 points, 11 rebounds) and Kyle Washington (27 and eight) hurt the Huskies on the boards, in the lane and even on the perimeter. UConn's best scoring big man, Kentan Facey, had a tough time converting around the basket, going 1-for-8.
The Huskies hung close in the first half, despite nine turnovers that were cashed in for 14 points by the Bearcats, who led, 34-26. But Cincinnati, after starting 1-for-10 on 3-point shots, finished 12-for-26, the game-changer in the second half. Cincinnati outrebounded UConn, 35-29
Rodney Purvis scored 20, Amida Brimah 16 for UConn. Jalen Adams was quiet, going 3-for-9, for eight points, with five assists.
The Huskies got two injured players, Steven Enoch (right foot) and Juwan Durham (left foot) back in uniform for the game, giving coach Kevin Ollie a workable complement of players for the first time since Jan. 14. The Huskies started out playing some good defense, but two long-standing issues _ turnovers and finishing around the basket _ hurt them in the first half.
They stayed close, as the Bearcats missed nine of their first 10 3-point shots. Washington, Cincinnati's versatile big man, was hurting the Huskies inside and out, getting eight of his team's first 10 points and 13 in the first half. Clark was costing UConn on the boards.
Facey's jumper cut UConn's deficit to two points with 7:21 to go in the half, but the Huskies didn't score for the next 3:08. Cincinnati went on an 8-0 run to take a 10-point lead on Kevin Johnson's 3-pointer. The Bearcats, in fact, hit 3s on three consecutive possessions, but UConn got responses from Vance Jackson, Purvis and Christian Vital to stay in the game. Cincinnati punctuated the half with Clark's put-back dunk at the buzzer, good for a 34-26 lead at the break. Purvis had nine points, and the Huskies made seven of their last 11 shots, but nine turnovers _ and Cincinnati's 14 points off them _ were the difference in the game at that point.
UConn trailed by six early in the second half, but Clark began to dominate again at both ends. He hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions, and scored on a put-back, part of an 11-0 spurt as the Bearcats opened up a 19-point lead with 13:47 to go. The Bearcats eventually built the lead out to 26 with 9:26 left.
