NEW YORK – Syracuse (5-3) allowed an 11-point second-half lead to evaporate, as Connecticut (4-4) stormed back for a 52-50 win at Madison Square Garden on Monday night after Christian Vital hit two free throws with 2.2 seconds left. The Orange’s woes continue, as Jim Boeheim’s team has turned in four consecutive lackluster performances.

Here are superlatives from the game.

Player of the game – Rodney Purvis
The UConn guard scored a game-high 21 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the field and a 5-for-12 clip from deep. Purvis hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 6:18 left in the game to give UConn a 45-44 lead, one the Huskies held onto for good.

Dud of the game – Tyler Lydon
Aside from a 3-pointer from the top of the key that gave Syracuse a 40-30 lead, Lydon struggled mightily from the field as his recent woes continued. He was unable to hit a wide-open 3-pointer from the same spot as his only make with SU trailing, 46-44, and 4:22 left in the game. The sophomore has now shot 7-of-25 in the last three games.

Highlight of the game – Andrew White hits game-tying 3-pointer
With Syracuse trailing 50-47 and under 10 seconds left, White hit a 3 in front of the Orange’s bench to tie the game. Until that point, the fifth-year senior was 2-for-10 from deep. For a matter of seconds, it gave Syracuse hope in a game it played poorly in, but that hope disappeared when UConn intercepted Lydon’s full-court heave as time expired.

C’mon man! – Frank Howard fouls Jalen Adams on 3-point attempt
With Syracuse leading by 11 in the second half, Adams received a pass on the right wing at the tail end of the shot clock. He double-clutched and Howard flew into his body before both hit the ground and Adams was awarded three shots. Adams hit 2-of-3 from the line and cut the Orange’s lead back to single digits when it looked, for a moment, like SU was pulling away. Connecticut stormed back to reclaim the lead in the next minutes, as Howard’s gaffe shifted momentum in the Huskies favor.

X-factor – Jalen Adams
The sophomore guard poured in 16 points on 4-of-12 shooting, no bucket more important than his 3 to put the Huskies up five. Adams also hit 6-of-9 free throws, and chipped in seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals in the win.