Gators lose on the road to Huskies

Once again, the Florida Gators offense looked sluggish as they lose to the Connecticut Huskies 62-59 in their first road game of the season.

Game Recap

The first half was a half of runs and strong defense. Florida jumped out to a 6-0 lead before UConn scored nine unanswered of their own. The Gators then went on a 9-2 run before the Huskies closed the half on a 12-5 run taking a 25-20 lead into halftime.

The second half saw an uptick of offense with both teams finding their rhythm. It was a back-and-forth half with the Huskies prevailing in the end.

One of the turning points in the game was Kerry Blackshear Jr. fouling out with 4:36 left in the game. He finished with 15 points and eight rebounds.

With just over three minutes to go, Andrew Nembhard stepped into a three as the Gators pulled within one. Eight of his 14 came in the final 10 minutes of action. He also dished out seven assists in the loss.

Down three with 10 seconds left, Nembhard missed a jumper but got the loose ball out to Keyonate Johnson wide open at the top of the key. Instead of shooting the three, he passed up the ball and turned it over. The Huskies stole it and ran out the clock.

Dropped a tough one in Storrs, onto the next one. #GatorsHoop pic.twitter.com/gj2dz5YaTf

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) November 17, 2019

Other Notes

With Blackshear in foul trouble for most of the second half, Huskies’ big man Josh Carlton took full advantage. He finished with 13 points, 11 in the second half, and eight rebounds.

In a game that featured poor shooting performances from both sides, Tyler Polley had a strong night for UConn. He finished with 15 points including a trio of three-pointers.

Noah Locke struggled to find the bottom of the net again going just 2-8 from the field but did knock a pair of triples.

The Gators are back in action when they take on the St. Joseph’s Hawks Thursday in the Charleston Classic.