National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Connecticut 84, Central Florida 61
When: 6:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 11, 2014
Where: Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, Storrs, Connecticut
Officials: # Clarence Armstrong, # Tony Chiazza, # Joe DeRosa
Attendance: 9561

Connecticut 84, Central Florida 61: Freshman Amida Brimah recorded season highs of 20 points and eight rebounds while adding five blocks to help the host Huskies win the 1,600th game in program history.

Shabazz Napier registered 14 points, 11 assists and five steals for UConn (13-3), which won its first American Athletic Conference game after an 0-2 start. DeAndre Daniels contributed 13 points, seven rebounds and four of the Huskies' 14 blocks, while Ryan Boatright shrugged off a leg injury to add 11 points and seven rebounds.

Isaiah Sykes scored 17 points, Eugene McCrory had 12 points and nine rebounds while Tristan Spurlock added 11 and six rebounds for the Knights (9-5, 1-2), who shot 31.3 percent from the field. Central Florida was first in the ACC and UConn last in rebounding entering the game, but the Huskies won the battle of the boards 50-34.

Brimah recorded 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting and recorded four rebounds and three blocked shots to help Connecticut enjoy a 35-24 lead at the break. Central Florida quickly cut the deficit to four on Spurlock's three-point play with 17:56 left before Niels Giffey's 3-pointer restored the 11-point margin with 14:37 to go.

The Knights responded with five straight points - capped by Matt Williams' third and final 3-pointer - before Connecticut steadily pulled away to a 61-46 lead on Boatright's free throws with 7:38 remaining. The Huskies stretched the lead to 20 on Brimah's 19th and 20th points with 2:43 to play - his eighth basket in 10 attempts.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Connecticut avoided starting a conference season 0-3 for the first time since 1983-84, when it was a member of the Big East Conference. ... The Huskies lead the ACC in blocks at 7.1 per game. ... The teams combined to shoot 10-for-38 from 3-point range, with each team making five.
Top Game Performances
 
Central Florida   Connecticut
Isaiah Sykes 17 Scoring Amida Brimah 20
Isaiah Sykes 4 Assists Shabazz Napier 11
Eugene McCrory 9 Rebounds Amida Brimah 8
Isaiah Sykes 5 Free Throws Made Shabazz Napier 7
Brandon Goodwin 2 Steals Shabazz Napier 5
Staphon Blair 2 Blocks Amida Brimah 5
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Central Florida 61 31.2 5-21 16-25 7 29 2 7 11
Connecticut 84 46.0 5-17 21-26 19 44 14 8 9