UK Hoops falls to No. 1 seed UConn Huskies

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KINGSTON, R.I. — The Connecticut Huskies defeated UK Hoops 80-65 Tuesday night to end the Cats’ season one step away from the Final Four.

UConn jumped out to a quick 9-0 start, but the Cats battled back and captured the lead four times during the first half.

“That was a bad start for us, and I feel bad that I didn’t have the players better ready to play,” UK head coach Matthew Mitchell said.

UConn beat the UK press, going the length of the court in the final two seconds of the half, to go into the locker room with a 41-39 lead over the Cats.

UConn went on an extended 21-5 run mid-way through the second half, giving it firm control of the game.

The Cats were frustrated by the Huskies’ zone on the offensive end, shooting 8-for-31 (25.8 percent) from the field in the second half.

“That is the result of my inability to help our players handle big physical zones,” Mitchell said. “Connecticut plays it better than anyone. They are so physical and tough. Big, physical zones have hurt us this year and that is something I need to get better on in the offseason. I thought our players gave a great effort and worked extremely hard.”

Defensively, the Cats fouled too often, committing 13 fouls in the second half — leading to 19-for-22 free throw shooting for UConn.

The Cats were led in scoring by sophomore Samarie Walker, who scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds. Walker also made the Kingston Regional All-Tournament Team.

“We’ve had an incredible season,” Walker said. “The coach never doubted us.”

Seniors Keyla Snowden, Amber Smith and Crystal Riley finished their careers with the loss.

Snowden struggled from the field, connecting on 2-of-12 field goal attempts for seven points.

“I’m sad that we didn’t succeed in hitting our goal. I’m so proud of the team. Just being part of Big Blue Nation — I’m just so happy about all the fans that have supported us during the season,” Snowden said. “I felt like we kept fighting until the end. We’ve accomplished so much this year.”

Smith scored nine points, connecting on 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.

“I don’t feel like we should have lost that game. We just couldn’t hit shots,” Smith said. “We lost focus.”