Solo Ball scored 19 points to fuel No. 5 UConn to a 77-73 victory over No. 18 Florida on Tuesday in the Jimmy V Classic in New York.
Ball joined Alex Karaban with three 3-pointers to send the Huskies (9-1) to their fifth consecutive victory.
UConn also exacted a small measure of revenge after seeing its run of two national titles come to a halt with a 77-75 setback to eventual champion Florida in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last March.
Karaban finished with 13 points and Tarris Reed Jr. added 12 in his return to the starting lineup after sitting out the previous two games with an ankle injury.
Malachi Smith had nine assists off the bench with just one turnover for the Huskies, who shot a robust 50% from the floor to help offset a tough night on the glass. The Gators kept within earshot by owning a 40-28 edge in rebounds, including 16-7 on the offensive glass.
Florida’s Xaivian Lee scored 13 of his 19 points in the first half. He atoned for a disastrous performance in his last game in which he made 1 of 10 shots to finish with four points in the Gators’ 67-66 setback to Duke last Tuesday.
Thomas Haugh had 18 points and Alex Condon had 14 to go along with nine rebounds for the Gators (5-4), who have dropped three of their last four games.
Boogie Fland made a layup to trim UConn’s advantage to 76-73 with 13 seconds left and Florida trapped Jayden Ross along the sideline and forced a turnover. The Gators, however, were whistled for a five-second violation to effectively end the game.
Haugh made a spinning layup to give Florida a 55-54 lead with 8:02 to play before Braylon Mullins regained the advantage on the ensuing possession with a jumper. Karaban blocked Lee’s shot at the other end, and Smith fed Karaban for a 3-pointer in transition.
Florida erased a seven-point deficit at halftime and claimed a 49-46 lead after Haugh drained a 3-pointer with 11:53 remaining in the second half.
