UConn vs. Gonzaga: Score, Highlights and Reaction from Battle 4 Atlantis 2015

No. 10 Gonzaga survived a second-half rally from No. 18 Connecticut on Friday to score a 73-70 victory in the third-place game at the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas.

Kyle Wiltjer led the way for the Bulldogs with 17 points and four rebounds. Eric McClellan, Domantas Sabonis and Silas Melson also reached double figures for the winning side. Shonn Miller had a game-high 19 points in a losing effort for the Huskies.

Even though Gonzaga couldn't capture the tournament title after a one-point loss to Texas A&M on Thursday, head coach Mark Few still stressed the importance of the consolation game. He discussed the critical nature of resume-building opportunities, as noted by Dom Amore of the Hartford Courant.

"We face [a high level of competition] every year," Few said. "We faced Pittsburgh on the other side of the world, so it's what we do at Gonzaga. It's very important for us, for our RPI, our seeding, getting the stage set for the rest of the year. These tournaments are a great barometer of where you are and where you need to get to."

His players certainly seemed to heed those words early on, as the Bulldogs came out firing on all cylinders in the first half. The aggressive brand of basketball forced the Huskies into a lot of tough shots, and that created a lot of open looks in transition.

The Zags finished the opening 20 minutes on a 19-7 run thanks to a barrage of jumpers. They made seven of their 12 attempts from beyond the arc, while UConn missed all four of its long-range tries and shot just 37 perfect from the field.

Seth Davis of CBS Sports summed up Gonzaga's surge to grab a 16-point lead:

Rob Dauster of NBC Sports felt it marked the most comprehensive half of the campaign so far for the Bulldogs:

Gonzaga had a chance to grab complete control early in the second half after it stretched the lead to 19 with less than 15 minutes to go. The Bulldogs couldn't get the defensive stops they needed to fully put the game away, however, which left the door open for UConn.

The Huskies finally came alive inside the final 10 minutes with an 11-1 run to cut the Zags' advantage to four. A much stronger effort at the defensive end took away all of the easy looks Gonzaga had thrived on while building the lead.

Connecticut could never get back level, however, as Gonzaga regained its composure in time to preserve a slim edge over the final minutes to secure the win.

Troy Machir of Sporting News highlighted the final effort from Rodney Purvis:

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports wrapped up the event for both sides:

Looking ahead, Gonzaga finally gets a chance to end its whirlwind travel schedule. The Bulldogs don't play another game outside the state of Washington until New Year's Eve. The stretch of eight straight contests in their home state starts with a visit to Washington State next Wednesday.

Connecticut also returns to the floor Wednesday when it attempts to end its brief two-game losing skid against Sacred Heart. That's followed by another high-profile clash as the Huskies take on No. 2 Maryland on Dec. 8.

Postgame Reaction

Few admitted Uconn's effort on defense gave his team trouble in the second half, which turned the consolation game into a nail-biter, per Amore:

Huskies head coach Kevin Ollie talked about the development process that happens during the course of a season, as David Borges of the New Haven Register pointed out:

Ultimately, both sides can take some positives out of the tournament and that's the most important element at this stage of the campaign. Gonzaga gets a little extra boost thanks to today's marquee win, but the teams each have the potential to make some noise come March.