MEMPHIS, Tenn. _ The UConn men took newfound confidence into their AAC quarterfinal challenge.
But Houston had long-established excellence on its side, and it was absolutely no contest. The 11th-ranked Cougars started off with a burst and left the Huskies in the dust, burying their season 84-45 Friday at the FedEx Forum.
And so ended Dan Hurley's first season. The Huskies (16-17) were below .500 for the third season in a row but showed signs of new energy and passion that could one day return the program to its old winning ways. That will take more time.
And so ended Jalen Adams' four-year career at UConn, with 15 points and 10 rebounds. At the end, Adams had to carry the Huskies virtually alone, as was the case for most of the last three seasons, but he could only carry them so far.
Houston (30-2), the outright conference champ, staged a pair of 11-0 runs in the first half, taking leads of 11-0 and 29-16, UConn edging back in the game only briefly in between. Houston's size, quickness and precision on defense made it look at times as if they had extra players on the court. UConn was rarely able to get off an uncontested shot, no matter how many passes they made. When they did, the shooters who were so effective in UConn's first-round win over South Florida 24 hours earlier, misfired wildly, Tyler Polley, Christian Vital and Tarin Smith a combined 3 for 23. The Huskies shot 25.9 percent, going 3 for 26 from the 3-point line.
Corey Davis Jr. led Houston with 22 points, Galen Robinson Jr. added 17, Nate Hinton 13 and Armoni Brooks 11. Houston dominated the boards and shot 46.4 percent, including 10 for 23 on 3-pointers. The Huskies, with Adams returning from his knee injury and wins at East Carolina to finish the season and here against USF, came in and played with plenty of enthusiasm. But Houston, though assured an NCAA Tournament bid, matched the Huskies on that level.
Josh Carlton had 13 points and 11 rebounds. The Huskies made a start in developing younger players, most particularly Carlton, who shared the conference's most improved player award, but after going 7-14 in conference games, UConn has a long way to rise to the upper echelon of the American Conference, let alone America. A long spring and summer of work toward that end begins the moment they land back home.
The Huskies started out on the wrong foot, with Vital fouling Davis at the 3-point line. Davis' shot fell, and he completed a four-point play. With the Huskies creating but failing to convert a series of fast-break chances, the Cougars cashed in on the other end and built an 11-0 lead.
Out of Hurley's first timeout, the Huskies edged back into it, Adams getting them on the board with a tough shot in traffic. The Huskies were again down 11 when they put together an 9-0 run, finished with Carlton's hook shot, to pull within two, 18-16, with 9:33 left in the half.
It was all Houston from there to the break. The Huskies were misfiring as the quick, rangy Houston defenders made every shot difficult. Vital, Polley and Smith were a combined 2 for 14 in the half. Adams, who had 10 points and Josh Carlton (8) were all UConn had going on offense.
Meanwhile, Houston was running and dominating in transition, outscoring the Huskies 11-3 on fast-break points. They put together another 11-0 run to open a 29-16 lead on Nate Hinton's second-chance 3-pointer with 5:34 left. DeJon Jarreau converted another fast break with a throw-down to give the Cougars a 16-point lead with 56 seconds left.
Carlton scored on a lay-in, but when the Huskies earned a chance for quick points at the end of the half, he missed two at the line. Houston, shooting 45.5 percent, including 7 for 14 on 3-point attempts, went to the break with a 39-25 lead. The Cougars couldn't miss in the second half and extended their lead past 30 with 12 minutes left. Carlton was called for a flagrant foul and a technical, allowing Houston to pile on four more points for a 73-34 lead.
