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Halftime Update: UConn Leads USF, 30-20

Boatright has 9 to lead the Huskies after the first 20 minutes.

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Hartford-- Coming off a seven point victory against UCF on Thursday, the UConn is looking to complete a sweep of the Florida schools this season. They got off to a nice start this afternoon.

Ryan Boatright set the tone early for the Huskies. The senior guard looked much springier than he has over the last few weeks. His ankle finally looks to be 100% healthy. That strength gave him the extra bounce he needs. He created nice separation on a step back jumper and knocked two three pointers. He also got heckled by someone in the crowd about being "from the suburbs" and not being a real Chicagoan. So really just an excellent 20 minutes of Boatshow action.

For the third straight game, Kevin Ollie has had Rodney Purvis come off the bench. That decision, after starting Purvis for 11 games, has paid off. Purvis averaged 11 ppg against Stanford and UCF and already has 9 today. That extra boost off the bench has been a nice touch for the offense. This was a strong half from Purvis. He attacked the rim in transition and really looked confident.

This game devolved from a basketball game to a free throw shooting competition. The referees started whistling both teams for minor infractions. The opening 10 minutes featured up and down action, but the last 10 minutes were quite painful. The refs called a combined 23 fouls, 11 on USF and 12 on UConn. The Bulls shot 6-11 from the line, while the Huskies went 9-14. Hopefully, the refs open up the game a bit more and let these guys play it out.

On to the second half.