MIAMI (AP) -- In 15 seasons coaching Connecticut, Jim Calhoun
can't remember the Huskies shooting better than 55 percent from the
field and losing.
|  | | John Salmons scored 16 points Saturday as Miami upset No. 15 UConn. |
That's what happened Saturday, as the 15th-ranked Huskies lost
to Miami 77-74, despite their third-best shooting performance of
the season.
UConn (13-5, 2-3 Big East) went 30-for-53 (56.6 percent) on
field goal attempts.
"We might have played 300 games at Connecticut and we never
shot 57 percent and lost," Calhoun said. "We're very fragile. The
most fragile team I remember coaching."
Caron Butler led the Huskies with 25 points. It wasn't enough to
stop Connecticut from losing for the third straight game and
dropping its fourth road game of the season.
Miami (10-7, 2-4) pulled off the upset behind backup guard
Marcus Barnes' 24 points and John Salmons' 16. It was Miami's third
straight victory over Connecticut and fourth in five games.
Salmons clinched the victory with a pair of free throws and a
slam dunk in the final 11 seconds. The dunk, with 2.7 on the clock,
was Miami's only field goal in the final 6:18.
"We have really picked ourselves up and are playing a lot
better," Miami coach Perry Clark said. "It's great for our kids.
They learned they can play with anyone when they play well."
The Hurricanes led by as many as 16 points in the first half,
and Connecticut couldn't get the gap under three points in the
second half.
Trailing 72-67, Connecticut -- which finished with 19 turnovers --
turned the ball over with 27.7 seconds left. Salmons was then
fouled and made one of two free throws.
Butler scored 16 points in the second half. Edmund Saunders and
Albert Mouring each added 14.
Barnes, who scored 20 points in Miami's victory over Providence
on Tuesday, made six 3-pointers. Miami tied its season high with
nine 3s.
"It's been good for me, getting a lot more playing time and
getting better shots," said Barnes, a reserve who played 28
minutes. "I've been coming off screens pretty good. I knew they
weren't going to key on me."
The Hurricanes' biggest lead came at 41-25, on Dwayne Wimbley's
three-point play with 3:14 left in the first half.
Connecticut jumped out to a 9-3 lead and shot 56 percent for the
half. But the Huskies turned the ball over 13 times, and Miami's
reserves provided a lift, scoring 16 points.
"Miami jumped on us early and put us in a big hole," Calhoun
said. "We couldn't make it up. Our turnovers really hurt us. We
cleaned them up in the second half, but we couldn't make up for the
13-point halftime deficit. It's a discouraging loss for us."
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ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard
Connecticut Clubhouse
Miami Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Miami's Marcus Barnes drains the three-pointer against UConn.
avi: 716 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
UConn's Caron Butler puts up the hard bucket and draws a foul.
avi: 745 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
UConn's Caron Butler hits the reverse layup against Miami.
avi: 922 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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