KEVIN KLAUS/Arizona Daily Wildcat Junior UA forward Rick Anderson grabs a rebound Saturday against Connecticut in McKale Center. The Wildcats lost their second straight, 100-98 in overtime.

Bynum misses 3-pointer in overtime as UA falls to UConn, 100-98

Last season, Connecticut played Arizona in a non-conference, nationally televised game and upset the Wildcats in Storrs, Conn. This year, only the setting changed as Connecticut came to Tucson Saturday and beat the Wildcats, 100-98 in overtime.

With less than five seconds left in overtime, freshman guard Will Bynum had an open look at a 3-pointer that would have sealed a victory for No. 10 Arizona (13-5, 6-3 Pacific 10 Conference). Instead, the shot fell short and No. 25 UConn (13-3, 6-0 Big East Conference) escaped with another victory over the Wildcats.

"I was confident. I thought it was going in, it was a good shot - a great look. It just didn't go in," Bynum said.

Last year's last-second loss to the Huskies - the result of a controversial goaltending call on former UA center Loren Woods - was a shock because many felt UA was by far the better team. This year, however, the same could not be said.

"This was a 13-and-3 team that was undefeated in the Big East. They're a good team," said UA associate head coach Jim Rosborough. "Their personnel are good."

UConn freshman Emeka Okafor was the difference for the Huskies, dominating the lane defensively. Okafor was one block short of a triple-double, setting career highs in both blocks (nine) and rebounds (15) while adding 19 points. But his effect on the game went far beyond the box score, as his interior presence didn't allow the Wildcats to consistently score around the basket.

"Probably the difference in the game was Okafor," UA head coach Lute Olson said. "Seemed like every time we had an opportunity to go to the bucket, he was there. He changed the total complexion of the game. You look at the numbers, he was the best big kid we played all year. He just dominated the paint."

UA's problems defending the 3-point shot also had an effect on the final outcome, as the Huskies made 10 threes on 59 percent shooting for the game. Freshman reserve guard Ben Gordon converted on five of his eight long-range attempts.

"Our ability to defend the three is not where it needs to be if you look at what we've given up on the year," Olson said.

In the first half, Gardner couldn't find his stroke. However, the duo of junior forward Luke Walton, with 11 points, and freshman guard Salim Stoudamire, with 10 points, kept them in the game.

The Wildcats still trailed by as many as 12 in the first half before cutting the Huskies' lead to four going into halftime.

"I thought they were physically tougher than we were, especially in the first half. In the second half, I thought we adjusted better," Olson said.

It would take Arizona until almost 13 minutes into the second half to take back the lead it had last held with 18:21 left in the first frame, as UConn seemed to have a response every time the Wildcats made a serious run. The same would hold true for the rest of the game, as neither team was able to deliver a finishing blow to the other and the game went to overtime after Okafor blocked Gardner's bid for a game-winning layup out of bounds.

In the extra frame, UA jumped out to a quick 97-91 lead behind two 3-pointers by Stoudamire. However, those would be the last field goals of the game for the Wildcats, as the Huskies went on a 9-0 run to give them a three-point lead and eventually the win.

The Wildcats once again appeared to suffer from the malaise that haunted them in the first half of the UCLA game and the entirety of the ASU game.

"We're concerned about the starts. We've got to get tougher. It looks like we're still coming out there slow to begin with, and I don't know why," Rosborough said. "It's about intensity and effort."

Gardner agreed with his coach's assessment.

"I think we come out too relaxed and then the team jumps on us and we go into halftime down. We have to start going out harder and be more mentally focused," Gardner said.

UA freshman guard Salim Stoudamire contributed 20 points, including 6-of-9 from behind the arc. However, his streak of consecutive free throws made ended at 39 in the second half, ironically when he was substituted in to shoot for Isaiah Fox, who had been injured on a foul.

There will be little time for Arizona to ponder the loss, as the team travels to Northern California next week to take on Cal and Stanford.

"We've got the toughest part of our schedule left now," Rosborough said. "We've got to be a lot tougher than we were in this game, and we have a lot left to learn."