HARTFORD, Conn. — The defending national champion Connecticut Huskies realize they have been counted out as a team with little chance of returning to the NCAA tournament.
The Huskies beg to differ. On Sunday at the XL Center before an appreciative crowd of 15,564, UConn finally put its full potential on display with an 81-73 victory over the No. 21 Southern Methodist Mustangs.
Sophomore guard Rodney Purvis, scored 14 of his career-high 28 points in the second half and senior guard Ryan Boatright added 23 points and five assists as UConn (17-11, 10-6 American) snapped a five-game winning streak for the Mustangs and prevented SMU from taking control of the American Athletic Conference race.
Purvis and Boatright combined for 51 points against a team that gives up an average of just 59 points a game. The 81 points were a season-high against SMU.
Both players agreed that the Huskies are a different team when Purvis plays aggressively.
“We could be real dangerous,” Boatright said. “The sky’s the limit. We just want to keep getting better every day, take care of each game, and just get in the tournament. Once we get in the tournament, anything could happen.”
UConn freshman forward Daniel Hamilton also scored 14 points in the second half and finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and three assists as the Huskies beat the Mustangs for the first time in five tries in the series history.
The loss knocked SMU (23-6, 14-3) into second place in the conference behind Tulsa (21-7, 14-2). Tulsa plays Cincinnati on Wednesday, then travels to SMU on March 8.
Forward Markus Kennedy led SMU with 18 points, and center Yanick Moreira had 14.
“We’re a pretty good defensive team, and I don’t think this was our best effort,” SMU coach Larry Brown said. “But I also think you should give credit to the people we played against.”
UConn pulled into fifth place in the AAC, one full game ahead of Memphis (9-7 AAC) for the final first-round bye spot in the conference tournament. Memphis plays at UConn Thursday, the Huskies finish the regular season Saturday at Temple and then the AAC tournament is at the XL Center.
“We’ve got two games left against two great teams that already beat us,” UConn coach Kevin Ollie said. “We want to respond the right way, like we’ve been responding to teams that have already beaten us earlier in the season.”
Hamilton, who scored two points in the first half, sparked a 17-4 run by the Huskies that turned a 53-51 deficit into a 68-57 lead with 3:59 left. Hamilton started the run with consecutive 3-pointers and wrapped it up with two free throws.
With UConn leading by four, Purvis may have made the play of the season for the struggling Huskies. Purvis stole the ball from SMU guard Ryan Manuel, drove to the basket, scored on a layup and was fouled by Manuel. Purvis hit the free throw for a three-point play that gave UConn a 64-57 lead with 4:55 left.
“I was laughing,” Brown said. “Purvis, I think, was shooting 40 percent from the free throw line. He makes everyone and a lot that mattered.”
UConn jumped out to an early 10-4 lead in just over six minutes. Purvis opened the scoring with a 3-pointer and had eight of those 10 points. Boatright had the other basket on a runner from the right side.
Purvis, a sophomore transfer from North Carolina State, was 4 of 8 from the field in the first half and 2 of 4 from 3-point range. He continued to have the hot hand in the second half, knocking down a 3-pointer and then driving the lane for an explosive dunk with 16:55 left.
“I just came out aggressive,” Purvis said. “That’s what the coaches have been pitching to me. We showed a lot of toughness. Earlier in the year, we probably would have bit the dust. We’ve made a lot of growth.”
Another basket by Purvis put UConn ahead 48-43. But, led by Kennedy, the Mustangs grabbed the momentum with a spurt midway through the second half. Kennedy was fouled by forward Phillip Nolan and completed a three-point play. Sophomore guard Sterling Brown dropped a 3 from the left corner and Kennedy hit a jumper to give SMU its first and only lead, 53-51 with 8:10 left.
“In the second half, we got back into the game, took some ill-advised quick shots, and then they capitalized,” Brown said. “I thought they were more disciplined on their end of the court. I don’t know how many teams would have beaten them tonight.”
NOTES: SMU, third in the AAC in steals with 195 before the game, turned up its defense late in the first half to record five steals by halftime. SMU scored 10 points off UConn’s eight first-half turnovers. UConn had only four turnovers in the second half. “It’s just being strong with the ball and making strong decisions,” UConn point guard Ryan Boatright said. … SMU will return to Hartford in 12 days. The XL Center is the site for the American Athletic Conference championship tournament, set to run March 12-15. The top five seeds receive a bye from first round action, so SMU will open March 13. … Senior G Ryan Boatright scored seven points in the first half, moving into a tie for ninth place on the all-time UConn scoring list with Wes Bialosuknia (1964-67) with 1,673 points. With 23 for the game, Boatright moved into ninth by himself with 1,689 points