UConn Strikes Back: Huskies Hand 1. Texas Second Loss In a Week

This UConn team knew it desperately needed a win over No. 1 Texas more then anything yesterday afternoon.  They were going through a tough stretch that included three straight losses at the hands of Georgetown, Pittsburgh, and Michigan.

Jerome Dyson came through at Gampel Pavillion and led the Huskies with 32 points in an electrifying 88-74 victory over the Longhorns.  This game was circled on the Huskies' schedule, and after going 0-4 against ranked teams this season, UConn was ready to give Texas all it had at home.

This was a game that included a lot of up and down scoring.  Texas came out hot and took the lead early on.  It made the most of UConn's turnover problems and took an eight- point lead into half.

George Blaney immediately called a timeout ten seconds into the second half after a sloppy turnover and layup gave Texas a double-digit lead.

After this stop, UConn responded by outscoring the Longhorns by 24 points the rest of the way.  It clawed its way back from another deficit and this time put the peddle to the metal.

Stanley Robinson was efficient scoring 17 points and grabbing 12 rebounds on 7-of-9 shooting.  He had a couple of amazing dunks that sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Kemba Walker had a tough first half that included a season-high six turnovers.  He came out of the locker room strong and only committed two turnovers in the second half.  He also scored 19 points for the Huskies and dished out 10 assists.  His ability to run the offense and control the tempo of the game was something that he needs to continue to do.

Gavin Edwards scored 11 points off the bench.  His ability to play with the Texas frontcourt was a key to success for UConn on Saturday

The player who doesn't get enough credit for yesterday's victory is Atar Majok.  The freshman from Sudan played a season high 32 minutes and battled during the entire time he was on the floor.

This UConn team needs to continue to play with this type of intensity and swagger the rest of the season.

The Big East is a brutal conference and although UConn has been great at home, it needs to find a way to win on the road.

That all starts Wednesday night at Providence in the Dunkin Donuts Center, a place that UConn hasn't played well in recent years.

UConn still has to make trips to Louisville, Syracuse, Villanova, and Notre Dame.  Each and every one of those games will be a new challenge for the Huskies.

It's a fight to make it into the field of 65.  This win over Texas is a great start, but the work is far from over.