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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
STORRS, Conn. (AP) -- Elton Tyler scored 22 points, including the
go-ahead basket late in the second half, as Miami rallied from 13
points down to beat No. 18 Connecticut 63-57 on Saturday.
For the second year in a row, the defending national champs were unable to cash in on their home court against the Hurricanes. Miami (16-9, 9-3 Big East) beat the Huskies (18-7, 7-5) by a bucket in their previous meeting at Gampel Pavilion.
|  | | Miami's Mario Bland rips a rebound away from Connecticut's Edmund Saunders. |
The 'Canes erased a 28-23 halftime deficit in a hurry. Johnny
Hemsley and Tyler combined for five points with less than a minute
gone. Mario Bland scored his first six points of the game over the
next five minutes in a 17-9 Miami run for a 40-37 Hurricane lead.
The teams traded baskets over the next five minutes and UConn
worked its way back into the lead at 46-45 on Jake Voskuhl's dunk.
After Hemsley's free throw evened the score at 9:04, Tyler took a
backdoor feed for an easy bucket to put Miami up for good 48-46
with 7:40 left. The Huskies got within a point, 53-52 on a pair of
free throws by Khalid El-Amin with 5:06 left.
It was all UConn in the opening minutes. The Huskies struck
quickly with a 14-2 run in the first four minutes by dominating the
offensive boards. Edmund Saunders, Kevin Freeman and El-Amin scored
UConn's first six points off offensive rebounds.
The Huskies built their largest lead in the half at 17-4 with
14:34 left as Souleymane Wane converted a three-point play. As fast
as the Huskies started, they went stone cold over the next six
minutes, fumbling away chances as Miami crept back in with a 8-0
run.
Tyler had four points in the spurt and as Miami got within five
at 17-12. The Hurricanes would get as close as four points with
just under three minutes in the half, using the foul line to get
there. The leading free throw team in the Big East, Miami converted
five of six from the line to cut UConn's lead to 27-23.
El-Amin gave the Huskies a 28-23 lead at the break, hitting one
of two free throws. He finished with a team-high 16 points.
The Hurricanes outrebounded UConn 36-26, led by John Salmons'
eight.
Miami's 73-71 win over UConn on Feb. 20, 1999 was final loss of
the 1998-99 season for the Huskies, who then ran off 11 straight
wins culminating with the national title victory.
The win was Miami's third in its last four over UConn and
assured the Hurricanes of a winning conference record for the third
straight year.
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ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
Miami Clubhouse
Connecticut Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Miami rules the boards.
avi: 815 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Tyler goes backdoor.
avi: 569 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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