Jalen Adams scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half to lead sixth-seeded UConn over No. 3 Houston 74-63 on Friday night in the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament.
Rodney Purvis added 18 points, while freshmen Christian Vital and Vance Jackson each had 12 for the Huskies (16-16), who have won two straight after limping into the postseason with four losses. The Huskies lost to Houston twice in the regular season and were 0-6 against the top-three teams in the conference.
Rob Gray Jr. scored 25 points for the Cougars (21-10), Galen Robinson Jr. added 17 and Damyean Dotson 15.
The Cougars cut the deficit to two several times in the second half, but after Davis made it 44-42 with 13:14, they would not get any closer. Adams started a 7-0 run with a 3-pointer that opened the game back up for the Huskies, who shot 63 percent (12 for 19) in the half.
