HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. _ The good things the UConn men have done in recent games did not carry over into Cincinnati, where the 11th-ranked Bearcats would have none of it.
The improved shooting percentage underwent the inevitable market correction, due to Cincinnati's stifling defensive pressure and the absence of Jalen Adams.
The Huskies decided at game-time that Adams, who was having flu-like symptoms, as so many are these days, could not play. And without their best player, and only legit ball-handler, UConn was helpless at both ends, and lost 77-52 Thursday before 8,217 at BB&T Arena.
Cincinnati (24-4, 13-2 American Athletic Conference) had lost two in a row, but still came into the game second in the country in field-goal percentage defense. UConn came in shooting 49.5 percent over its last four games, but that was with Adams, their leading scorer and facilitator. In this game, UConn (13-15, 6-9) helped pad the Bearcats' defensive numbers, going 18 for 60 from the floor, 6 for 21 on 3-pointers.
At the other end, the Bearcats cashed in on 15 UConn turnovers for 23 points, and broke the game open midway through the first half. And unlike the first meeting between these two on Feb. 3, there was no late UConn rally to make the game appear close. The Huskies instead lost by 20 or more for the eighth time this season.
Gary Clark scored 17, Trevor Moore 12 and Cane Broome 11 for Cincinnati.
Christian Vital scored 15 and Terry Larrier had 14 with nine rebounds for UConn, but they did not have efficient nights, going a combined 10 for 33.
UConn kept Adams in the locker room saving him from watching his teammates try to handle the ball against Cincinnati's pressure.
Without Adams, and with the Bearcats pressing relentlessly, the Huskies' could barely inbound the ball and get it down the court, let alone move it around and get an open shot. They did fight hard, but the live-ball turnovers kept handing Cincinnati easy baskets.
When Larrier scored on a layup, UConn was within four points with 12:40 to go in the half, but then Cincinnati went on a 13-2 run to take control of the game. Trevor Moore and Clark hit 3-pointers during the sequence to stretch the Bearcats' lead to double-digits as the Huskies missed 9 of 10 shots.
Cincinnati led by 15 after Tre Scott's free throw with 5:58 to go, and the Huskies fumbled away the few chances they had to cut into the lead. The Bearcats, 14 for 30 with 11 assists, led 38-25 at the break, scoring 13 of their points off turnovers.
The Bearcats quickly upped the lead to 20 at the start of the second half, as the Huskies began fouling and missing open shots. Clark's 3-pointer gave them a 53-31 lead with 13:15 to play.
