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Message: [QUOTE="SwingDog, post: 3428386, member: 7919"] Unfortunately, because it was a road game, there may not be a post game presser video from Coach Hurley. Dom Amore's article has lots of post game quotes though, and might be the best we'll get. [SIZE=7][B]James Bouknight, Alterique Gilbert lead as UConn men finally win at Tulsa, 72-56[/B][/SIZE] [URL='https://www.courant.com/hc-bio-dom-amore-staff.html'][IMG alt="Dom Amore"]https://www.courant.com/resizer/DfHZHPU9MhdJ34TjxcFnZc5N9uI=/32x32/top/s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/tronc/7703c34f-b456-4c14-9426-b599cd82b689.png[/IMG][/URL] By [URL='https://www.courant.com/hc-bio-dom-amore-staff.html#nt=byline']DOM AMORE[/URL] HARTFORD COURANT | FEB 06, 2020 | 10:31 PM | TULSA, OKLA. [IMG alt="Dan Hurley"]https://www.courant.com/resizer/BydrX3W-rEOXEDNwDmX__dSFg8A=/fit-in/800x533/smart/filters:fill(black)/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-tronc.s3.amazonaws.com/public/5L3XFEP6TNCZ3MRPETKKMD436Y.jpg[/IMG] [SIZE=6][B]Dan Hurley[/B][/SIZE] Connecticut coach Dan Hurley shouts during the first half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against Tulsa in Tulsa, Okla., Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) (Sue Ogrocki / AP) All the facts and figures screamed that Thursday would not be the night for the UConn men to break through to victory. But this time, the Huskies screamed louder than the logic, louder than the odds against them, and wrote their own narrative at Tulsa. ADVERTISING “Someone told me we had never won a game here in UConn history,” James Bouknight said, “so we came in with a killer mentality, that we [I]have [/I]to win this game. It’s a must-win game.” Bouknight, the freshman, scored 19 of his career-high 22 points in the second half, taking over the UConn side of the game with 11 consecutive points at the critical moment. And Alterique Gilbert, the senior, found a comfortable niche off the bench, scoring 17, help the Huskies to a 72-56 victory at the the Reynolds Center. A five-game losing streak in Tulsa that stretched back to January 2015, and somehow symbolized the frustration and futility the UConn program has experienced in the American Athletic Conference, and since its 2014 national title, came to an end. It will be the Huskies’ last trip here, at least as a conference rival. [B][URL='https://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-mens-basketball/hc-uconn-mens-basketball-schedule-results-htmlstory.html#nt=interstitial-manual']Check out the latest UConn men stats here »[/URL][/B] UConn was 0-5 on the road this season, Tulsa was 11-1 at home, and in first place in the conference. But after so many close losses, seven by seven points or less, three in OT, including one to Tulsa back in Hartford on Jan. 26, the Huskies played in a manner that shouted enough was enough. “Hats off to our guys,” coach Dan Hurley said. "After all the brutal, close losses, to come into a place we had never won before and get a nice win, I was just happy for the group to finally get rewarded for their efforts.” Christian Vital made a 3-pointer to add an exclamation point during the final minute, jawing at the Tulsa student section as the clock ran out. Vital scored 10, and Isaiah Whaley had 10, with 12 rebounds, a critical contribution with Josh Carlton in foul trouble and Akok Akok held out of the starting lineup in what Hurley called “a teaching moment.” “It’s a big lift off our shoulders, and everyone’s really excited,” said Whaley, a junior. "It’s a really good feeling right now. We always, in the back of our minds, knew that we had never won here, and I had been a part of a couple of bizarre games, a lot of weird things have happened. We wanted to come out here and finally finish.” Gilbert, who missed a game for personal reasons Jan. 29, has come back refreshed and more confident. Off the bench for the second game in a row, he provided a hot shooting touch, hitting 3-point goals on successive possessions to tie the game, and then hitting a long two. The Huskies grabbed the lead, and held it to the half, 31-29. “It started with just preparation,” Gilbert said, “just being ready to play, and then it’s just being in the moment, staying in the moment and playing basketball.” The Huskies opened the second half with a 13-2 run, and Tulsa, still carried by Igbanu, who had 21 of its first 37 points, staged a 10-0 run to cut it back to one. Then it was Bouknight’s game. He scored 11 straight UConn points, including 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions and a baseline runner, to help build the lead out to double digits again. Later, he missed a three, but got his own long rebound and put in another runner to keep UConn nine points ahead. “Man, that kid is special,” Gilbert said. "It was unreal to watch, just being on the court while it was happening. My only thing was, ‘Give him the ball.'” Bouknight was 9-for-14, including 4-for-5 on 3-pointers. [LEFT] When Bouknight picked up his fourth foul and had to come out, his teammates picked him up. Gilbert, 6-for-9, 3-for-3, completed a critical 3-point play to make it 64-53.[/LEFT] "When you have a couple of guys going on offense, it’s a lot easier to close games,” Hurley said. “We had been waiting for that [3-point shooting] outburst from James. That’s kind of, in a nutshell, what that young man’s capable of. He took a real mature approach coming into this one, the way he practiced, the way he was locked into the scouting [report] and the things we wanted to do. Everything he did, he was dialed in.” [B][URL='https://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-mens-basketball/hc-sp-uconn-men-tulsa-live-updates-20200206-20200206-e74bbigwbngvngqokh5eqb3ism-story.html#nt=interstitial-manual']Rewind: UConn men win at Tulsa »[/URL][/B] Hurley, who rarely tweaks his starting lineup, made a change, starting Brendan Adams in place of Akok. The teams traded baskets early, then Tulsa sent its best player, Igbanu, in off the bench, as they’ve been doing. Igbanu, who scored 28 against UConn on Jan. 26, scored 13 more in the first half of this game, going 5-for-7 from the floor and getting the Huskies’ big men in foul trouble - three on Carlton. “He’s fun to play against, though,” Whaley said. “He brings out the best in you.” Tulsa (15-7, 7-2) was coming off an emotional win over Wichita State that earned first place in the conference. UConn (12-10, 3-6) was coming off a seven-point loss at Memphis, another in a long series of games the Huskies seemed to have within their grasp. Here, UConn went 17-for-29 from the floor in the second half. “This is a big-time win,” Bouknight said. "They were the No.1 team in our conference, so it feels good. We’re just happy right now, we’re on a high right now.” [I]Dom Amore can be reached at [email]damore@courant.com[/email][/I] [URL='https://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-womens-basketball/hc-sp-uconn-insider-podcast-womens-basketball-oregon-20200206-20200206-6czafzv3kbgxvb6xzltug3zuse-story.html#nt=latestnews&rt=chartbeat-flt'][/URL] [/QUOTE]

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