Adama Sanogo led four scorers in double figures with 17 points, carrying No. 5 UConn to a 75-54 win over Florida in Gainesville, Fla., on Wednesday.
Freshman 7-foot-2 center Donovan Clingan added 16 points for the Huskies (10-0). Sanogo and Clingan dominated inside as UConn outrebounded Florida 42-28 and outscored the Gators 40-22 in points in the paint.
Jordan Hawkins scored 15 points and Joey Calaterra put up 11 points off the Huskies’ bench. Connecticut, which has won all 10 of its games by double figures,stretched a 13-point halftime lead to as many as 23 points in the second half.
Florida (6-4) had its modest two-game win snapped and dropped to 2-9 in its last 11 games hosting nonconference Top 10 opponents. Riley Kugel and Alex Fudge had 13 points each for the Gators, with Colin Castleton scoring 12 points.
UConn’s size frustrated Castleton inside throughout, as the preseason All-SEC standout went 1 of 9 from the field in the first half and 4 of 14 from the field overall. The Gators shot just 30.2 percent from the field, while UConn shot 51.7 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from 3-point range.
Clingan scored 10 points in the first half and Sanogo added eight, helping UConn build a 36-23 halftime lead. The Huskies took control of the game early with a 9-0 run with back-to-back dunks by Clingan, giving UConn a 16-6 lead.
After Castleton made a pair of free throws to cut UConn’s lead to 22-15, the Huskies posted another 8-0 run, six of which were scored on an Andre Jackson Jr. 3-pointer and Hawkins being fouled on a 3-point attempt and making three free throws, to extend their lead to 30-15.
A 3-pointer by Fudge cut UConn’s lead to 32-20, but the Huskies closed the half strong, taking a 36-23 lead into the break.
UConn held Florida to 28.6 percent shooting in the first half and scored six points off seven Florida turnovers.
–Field Level Media