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Tonight's road date with a South Florida team ranked No. 22 in the country represented the toughest game on the American conference slate. The Bulls shoot the ball well and have played competitively against UConn in the past.
Though it was the closest game for the Huskies ever in their history of AAC play, they ultimately prevailed without too much drama, 75-59. UConn has won 51 straight games going back to last season and is now a perfect 40-0 in the American.
For the second straight road game, however, UConn struggled in the first half. Poor shooting, injuries, and offensive lulls have contributed to the slow starts. Luckily, the top-ranked Huskies (14-0, 4-0 American) surged in the second half to claim victory.
Morgan Tuck scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds after missing Friday night's Houston game. Breanna Stewart added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Kia Nurse added 16 points- hitting some big three-pointers at the end of the game.
USF was deadly from three-point range for most of the game, finishing 12 of 26 from long distance. The Huskies have struggled at defending the three-point shot against better teams on the schedule.
Early in the third quarter, the Bulls (10-4, 3-1) cut a five-point halftime deficit to one, 35-34. It looked like the Huskies were about to be challenged for a full 40 minutes for the second time in five games.
But then the Huskies put a couple of their trademark runs together.
UConn outscored the Bulls 29-10 between the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarter to put this game out of reach. Tuck, Moriah Jefferson, and Katie Lou Samuelson hit back-to-back-to-back threes to start the fourth quarter on a 9-0 run.
Courtney Williams finished with a game-high 26 points for USF. Freshman Kitija Laksa finished with 17 points, including four three-pointers.
UConn shot 44% for the game, 12 percent better than USF, from the field and outrebounded the Bulls, 47-35. Samuelson and Gabby Williams were the only bench players to see significant minutes, combining for 15 points, 8 rebounds and three assists.
The Huskies will complete their three-game road trip on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. against Memphis. The game will be televised on SNY/ESPN3. They will be back home on January 16 to take on Temple at Gampel Pavilion.