Woman Reporter: (Running to catch up with McGinty heading to the locker room for halftime) Coach, what will Washington need to get back into this game?
Jimmy McGinty: (pause) You've got to have heart.
At halftime of the UConn Huskies men's basketball game on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Panthers, the above quote from "The Replacements" popped in my head. If UConn was to get back into the game, they were going to need to play with more heart.
While they did rally back, ultimately the Huskies fell short as Pitt pulled out a 69-61 win in front of 12,510 and nationally televised audience on ESPN2 at the Peterson Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA.
It's the first time this season, UConn had lost two games in a row as they fall to 12-5 (2-3 Big East). Pitt improves to 15-4 (3-3).
Ryan Boatright led the way for the Huskies with 20 points and six assists. Omar Calhoun was the only other Husky in double-digits with 14 points and he had five rebounds.
Tyler Olander led the Huskies with six rebounds to go along with four points.
Lamar Patterson paced the Panthers with 14 points and had five assists. Tray Woodall added 13 points and six assists while James Robinson had 12 points.
Steven Adams had just three points but led all rebounders in the game with nine.
UConn found themselves down by 13 at the half and it stayed that way early in the second half. Trailing 47-33, the Huskies battled back to tie the game behind Boat and Calhoun.
It was Niels Giffey who tied the game at 55 on a dunk but Robinson put them back ahead by three. Boatright got an old fashioned three-point play to tie the game at 58 but that's as close as the Huskies would get as the Panthers closed out the game on 11-3 run.
The Huskies had been doing a great job as of late on the boards. It all went to the wayside as the Panthers dominated the glass 38-27.
That was one of the biggest differences of the game and it really hurt the Huskies.
UConn will get a week to work out things as they return to the court next Sunday (Jan. 27) when they'll host the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at the XL Center at 2 p.m.
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UConn Huskies @ Pittsburgh Panthers 1.19.13 box score
Here are the postgame quotes from UConn head coach Kevin Ollie.
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photo credit: brad horrigan – hartford courant (no. 11 in gallery)
