Walker, Nelson-Odoba lead No. 5 UConn over USF 67-47

Megan Walker scored 21 points and Olivia Nelson-Ododa added 20 Sunday to help No. 5 UConn shrug off a slow start to beat South Florida 67-47 and remain unbeaten in the American Athletic Conference. The Huskies (21-3, 11-0) trailed by four at halftime, took the lead for good early in the third quarter and broke the game open by beginning the fourth quarter with a 15-2 run and holding USF (15-10, 7-4) to one field goal during a nine-minute stretch.

Aubrey Griffin came off the bench to score eight points, grab seven rebounds and key the Huskies defense with five steals.

In improving to 131-0 all-time against league opponents since formation of the AAC, UConn rebounded from an 18-point loss to top-ranked South Carolina on Monday. The Huskies have never lost to USF, going 30-0 in a series that dates to the 2002-03 season.

The Bulls made five of six 3-pointers in the opening and led 29-25 at halftime after UConn failed to hold the momentum after wiping out an eight-point deficit and wasting an opportunity to take the lead when Anna Makurat missed a layup on a fast break.

The Huskies shot just 36.1%, including 4 of 17 from 3-point range, during last Monday’s 70-52 loss at South Carolina, UConn’s third double-digit setback this season — all coming against the teams currently ranked one, two, three in the AP Top 25.

Sunday was a struggle, too, with the Huskies warming to 48.3% despite missing 11 of 15 3-pointers.

BIG PICTURE

UConn: The Huskies don’t lose often. And when they do, they’ve been resilient. The 11-time national champions haven’t lost two in a row since March 1993, and Sunday’s victory extended their streak of consecutive wins against non-ranked opponents to 205.

South Florida: The Bulls have never beaten the Huskies, who are 113-0 against AAC teams during the regular season and 18-0 in the league's postseason tournament. USF's chances gradually slipped away Sunday because of poor shooting. After going 5 for 6 on 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes, they missed seven of eight over the last three quarters.