A strong performance from SMU proved too much for UConn to overcome, as the Huskies fell to the Mustangs, 80-73, in Orlando at the first round of the American Athletic Conference Tournament on Thursday afternoon.
SMU (17-15), playing without top two scorers Shake Milton and Jarrey Foster, was still able to score above its season average thanks to a first-half hot streak and a low turnover total. Eventually playing with only five scholarship athletes, even a tired Mustangs squad held on to the lead until the final buzzer.
The Huskies (14-18) struggled to get scoring from their typical stars, as Jalen Adams and Terry Larrier combined for more turnovers than made shots, with each giving the ball up five times while Larrier shot 5-17 from the floor and Adams made only three of his eleven attempts.