MEMPHIS, Tenn. — DeAndre Daniels had 23 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, Shabazz Napier added 17 points and Connecticut pulled away from No. 17 Memphis for an 83-73 victory Thursday night.
The Huskies (14-3, 2-2 American Athletic Conference) outscored Memphis 8-2 in the final minute to secure their third straight win.
Daniels was 9 of 15 from the field and UConn shot 57 percent, including 61 percent after halftime. Lasan Kromah finished with 13 points, making all five attempts.
Michael Dixon led Memphis (12-4, 3-2) with 16 points and Austin Nichols scored 13. Joe Jackson had 11 on 4-of-14 shooting, and Shaq Goodwin added 10.
The game was close most of the way, with three ties and 13 lead changes. The 10-point margin at the end was the biggest advantage for either team.
It was a game of rallies and lead changes, and UConn had the final burst — led by Napier. He scored seven points in the final 5 minutes after the teams were tied at 62.
Memphis managed only 44 percent shooting and was outrebounded 34-27.
Both teams went on runs in the first half before the Tigers carried a 40-39 lead into the break, despite Ryan Boatright’s 3-pointer in the waning seconds of the half.
While no Connecticut players were in double figures, the Huskies were shooting at a 54 percent clip, although Napier missed five of his six shots in the half.
Dixon already had 12 points for the Tigers, who managed just 42 percent shooting but were 5 of 8 from 3-point range, with Dixon at 2 of 3.
Memphis went only 2 of 9 outside the arc in the second half.
UConn scored seven unanswered points to break an early tie, but Memphis responded with a 9-2 rally to regain the lead.
The Huskies opened the second half by outscoring Memphis 10-2, including eight points by Daniels. UConn was ahead 49-42 when Memphis coach Josh Pastner called timeout to see if he could get his team back on track.
When the Tigers came out with consecutive 3s by Geron Johnson and Chris Crawford, Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie called a timeout of his own.
The teams stayed close from there until the Huskies put together the final rally.