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Live Blog: UConn 77, Florida 73

On3 imageby: Zach Abolverdi3 hours agoZachAbolverdi

NEW YORK — The No. 18 Florida Gators lost another nail-biter Tuesday against a top-five opponent for the second game in a row. The fifth-ranked UConn Huskies (9-1) outlasted UF, 77-73, at Madison Square Garden in the Jimmy V Classic.

The Gators battled to the end and had a chance for a game-tying 3 after forcing a late turnover with nine seconds left, but they failed to inbounds the ball for their 12th TO. Florida falls to 5-4 with losses to three top-five teams (Arizona, Duke and UConn).

Xaivian Lee scored a team-high 19 points, Thomas Haugh had 18 and Alex Condon finished with 14 and one rebound shy of a double-double. Solo Ball led UConn with 19 points, while Alex Karaban (13) and Tarris Reed Jr. (12) were also in double figures.

UF won the rebounding battle 40-28 — led by Rueben Chinyelu with 11 — and grabbed 16 offensive boards against just seven for the Huskies. Despite that advantage on the glass, UConn still outscored the Gators 7-6 in second-chance points.

Florida defeated the Huskies 77-75 last season in the second round of March Madness en route to the 2025 national championship. UF’s comeback victory snapped a 13-game NCAA Tournament winning streak for the Huskies after their back-to-back titles.

Here are live updates from Florida vs. UConn.

Florida vs. UConn Live Blog

SCORE UPDATE: UConn 66, Florida 62 (3:20 2H)

After a 12-3 run by the Huskies to build an eight-point lead, UF cut the deficit to four and forced to UConn coach Dan Hurley to burn a timeout.

SCORE UPDATE: UConn 59, Florida 55 (7:04 2H)

The Huskies are now back in front and made four of their last five shot attempts. Xaivian Lee is up to a game-high 19 points and Thomas Haugh has 15.

SCORE UPDATE: Florida 49, UConn 46 (11:49 2H)

The Gators have regained the lead with a 7-0 run and a go-ahead 3-pointer by Thomas Haugh. The Huskies have missed seven of their last eight shots.

SCORE UPDATE: UConn 43, Florida 42 (14:45 2H)

The Gators have outscored UConn 10-4 to start the second half, led by Xaivian Lee with four more points and two great assists to Rueben Chinyelu and Thomas Haugh.

HALF: UConn 39, Florida 32

The Huskies was 59% (16-27) in the first half and UF shot 30% from the floor (9-30). UConn was also 50% beyond the arc (5-10) versus 25% (2-8) for the Gators. Florida is winning on the boards (20-16) and has 11 offensive rebounds but just 2 second-chance points. Xaivian Lee leads all scorers with 13 points.

SCORE UPDATE: UConn 33, Florida 26 (3:45 1H)

The Huskies are on fire from the floor, making nine shots in row. The Gators, meanwhile, have missed 12 of their last 13 attempts. UF went 5:39 without a field goal in between Xaivian Lee’s 3-point play (10:53) and 3-pointer (5:14). Lee has scored Florida’s last 11 points.

SCORE UPDATE: Florida 20, UConn 18 (7:52 1H)

The Gators have missed their last five attempts with no field goals in 3:01, while the Huskies have made three shots in a row to cut the deficit to two.  

SCORE UPDATE: Florida 17, UConn 11 (10:53 1H)

The Gators are on an 11-0 run, including back-to-back buckets from Reuben Chinyelu and a steal and score by Xaivian Lee, while the Huskies haven’t scored in four minutes.

SCORE UPDATE: UConn 11, Florida 6 (14:53 1H)

The Gators already have three turnovers and Boogie Fland has two early fouls. UConn has scored eight points in the paint so far and a 3-pointer by Alex Karaban, while Micah Handlogten has an early dunk off the bench.

Florida Gators starters

No.PlayerPositionHeight/WeightClassMin.Pts.Rebs.Misc.
1Boogie FlandGuard6-3, 185 poundsSo.30.312.52.32.1 ast
15Xaivian LeeGuard6-4, 180 poundsSr.27.58.44.83.6 ast
10Thomas HaughForward6-9, 215 poundsJr.35.018.67.62.8 ast
21Alex CondonForward6-11, 230 poundsJr.30.215.19.03.0 ast
9Rueben ChinyeluCenter6-10, 260 poundsJr.24.410.311.30.8 blk

UConn Huskies starters

No.PlayerPositionHeight/WeightClassMin.Pts.Rebs.Misc.
2Silas Demary Jr.Guard6-4, 195 poundsJr.26.210.44.75.6 ast
1Solo BallGuard6-4, 200 poundsJr.27.714.63.61.9 3fg
3Jaylin StewartForward6-7, 225 poundsJr.23.66.34.02.2 ast
11Alex KarabanForward6-8, 230 poundsR-Sr.33.013.45.82.3 ast
12Eric ReibeCenter7-1, 260 poundsFr.20.19.74.91.4 blk

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