WHAT HAPPENED: The trio of forward Adama Sanogo, center Donovan Clingan and guard Jordan Hawkins combined for 48 points, but it was the all-around excellence of the fifth-ranked and unbeaten Huskies that did in the Gators Wednesday night during a one-sided 75-54 loss at Exactech Arena/O’Connell. UConn jumped on the home team early and stayed there, on the way to shooting 51.7 percent for the game (64.0 in the second half), holding UF to just 30.2 percent, pounding the Gators on the glass 42-28 and outscoring them 40-22 in the paint. Sanogo had 17 points and seven rebounds, while Clingan, the 7-foot-2, 250-pound freshman, totaled 16 points on eight of nine shooting to go with eight rebounds and three blocked shots. Hawkins had 15 points, four rebounds and three assists.The Gators were led by freshman guard Riley Kugel’s career-high 13 points. Fifth-year forward Colin Castleton had 12 points and eight rebounds over 32 minutes, but struggled in going 4-for-14 from the floor after starting one of nine in the first half, as the Huskies buried UF into a deep halftime hole the home team had no chance recovering from. Things went south quickly, with UConn using a run of nine straight points from the 15-minute mark to just inside 12 minutes to jump ahead 16-6. The spree came during a UF dry spell of when the Gators went scoreless over 4:42, missing nine of 10 shots at one point (with eight consecutive misses) and turning it over three times (seven turnovers through first five minutes). The Gators appeared to be settling in, down just 22-15 inside five minutes, when Hawkins was fouled attempting a 3, a call that sent Florida coach Todd Golden into a rage, complaining that Hawkins extended his leg to initiate contact. No matter. Hawkins hit all three free throws, then guard Andrew Jackson Jr. buried a 3, then Clingan scored a layup for eight straight points and a 15-point lead, 35-20, with four minutes to go in the half. The Gators got as close as 10 once early in the second half, and had possession of the ball to make bring the margin inside double digits and maybe turn some momentum. UF misfired on its end. UConn hit a 3 on its. It was never close after that, as the Huskies put down 16 of 25 field-goal tries for the half.
WHAT IT MEANS: There’s no shame in losing to one of the best teams in the country, as UConn came into the game ranked No. 2 in the NCAA…
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