TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Jalen Adams scored 20 points and matched a career-high with 12 assists to lead Connecticut to an 81-60 American Athletic Conference victory over USF on Wednesday night.

The Huskies (9-11, 4-4) pulled away for good during a 23-9 run over a nine-minute stretch of the second half. Christian Vital finished with 17 points and Rodney Purvis had 14.

USF (6-13, 0-8), which has lost eight straight, rallied from an early 10-point deficit to lead 44-43 before Vance Jackson made a pair of free throws and followed with a long 3-pointer to begin UConn's decisive surge.

The Huskies played just six players, and five of them finished in double-figures scoring. Jackson and Kentan Facey each had 12 points, and UConn shot a season-best 60 percent from beyond the 3-point arc, going 12 for 20.

Troy Holston led USF with 15 points. Michael Bibby added 14 and Tulio Da Silva had 12 for the Bulls, who kept it close for a while with some 3-point shooting of their own.