GAME REPORT

FIRST HALF: CONNECTICUT 36, OHIO STATE 35

* HIGHLIGHT REEL: The half was well played, but there wasn’t a definitive eye-opening moment. The best of many fine plays was a fastbreak dunk by Michael Redd off a nifty pass from Scoonie Penn, cutting the Huskies’ lead to 32-27 at the 4:09 mark. Penn beat his defender with a wrap-around pass to Redd, who made eye contact with Penn just long enough to determine where his teammate was headed. The dunk occurred during a 12-4 Ohio State run that enabled the team to close the half trailing by only one.

* WHAT YOU WON’T FIND IN THE BOX SCORE: Richard Hamilton’s first-half impact. Sure, the box score shows that Hamilton scored a half-high 15 points, making six field goals in nine attempts. But how the consensus All-American scored was the real story. The smooth swingman glided between would-be defenders, frustrating the Buckeyes with his ballhandling and jump shooting. Scoring on three consecutive jumpers--one a three-pointer--and a tip-in, Hamilton had nine points during a 14-3 run that put Connecticut ahead, 32-23, with 7:17 remaining.

* WINNING NUMBERS: 10-4-3-2. Those were Connecticut point guard Khalid El-Amin’s numbers for points, assists, steals and turnovers. Hamilton was the first-half star, but El-Amin wasn’t half bad.

* WRONG NUMBER: 35. That was the jersey number Penn was forced to wear because his No. 12 jersey was stolen from the Tropicana Field locker room, Ohio State officials said. The jersey didn’t look bad on Penn, who managed to score six points with four assists and only one turnover despite not wearing his lucky jersey.

* LEADING SCORER: Hamilton, Connecticut, 15.

* LEADING REBOUNDER: Jason Singleton, Ohio State, 5.

SECOND HALF: CONNECTICUT 64, OHIO STATE 58

* HIGHLIGHT REEL: Timely jump shots can be every bit as exciting as the most spectacular dunks, and Hamilton made one such shot at a key moment for the Huskies. The Buckeyes used a 9-4 run to cut the Huskies’ lead to 59-55, and they seemingly seized the momentum with 2:53 to play. Connecticut then put the ball in Hamilton’s hands. “Rip,” as Hamilton is known to teammates, worked the shot clock, making a jumper as the buzzer sounded, giving the Huskies a 61-55 lead. That effectively ended the Buckeyes’ final rally.

* WHAT YOU WON’T FIND IN THE BOX SCORE: At first glance, Connecticut center Jake Voskuhl didn’t have one of those games he may tell his grandchildren about someday. Voskuhl fouled out with only two points and five rebounds, but one of his rebounds helped the Huskies shut the door on the Buckeyes. Playing with four fouls, Voskuhl grabbed a long rebound on a miss by El-Amin with 2:20 left. Voskuhl got the ball back to El-Amin, who put it in Hamilton’s hands. Then Hamilton went to work, making the shot that demoralized the Buckeyes. Voskuhl fouled out with 1:24 left, but that one play made for a pretty good day at the office. And maybe another story for the future.

* WINNING NUMBERS: 9-8-1. The first two numbers are the points Hamilton and El-Amin scored in the second half, respectively. The third number is the total combined turnovers for the Huskies’ top players. No wonder these guys will play Monday night.

* WRONG NUMBER: 8 and 33. The number of field goals and attempts for the Buckeyes in the half, shooting 24.2%. That came after they made 50% (15 for 30) in the first half.

* LEADING SCORER: Hamilton, Connecticut, 9.

* LEADING REBOUNDER: Ricky Moore, Connecticut, 6.