Forward Daniel Hamilton's 19-point, 11-rebound effort pushed fifth-seeded Connecticut past top-seeded Temple 77-62 on Saturday at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla., earning a berth in the American Athletic Conference Tournament title game.
Forward Shonn Miller added 19 points for the Huskies (23-10), who will play 10th-seeded Tulane or sixth-seeded Memphis on Sunday for the championship and automatic NCAA Tournament berth.
Guard Jalen Adams contributed 11 points and seven assists for UConn. Four players reached double figures for the Owls (21-11), led by 17 points and 10 rebounds from forward Jaylen Bond. Guard Quenton DeCosey added 14 points but made only 4-of-17 shots, while reserve guard Devin Coleman scored 13 and guard Josh Brown added 10.
Showing no ill effects from Friday's 104-97 four-overtime win over Cincinnati in the quarterfinals, Connecticut took control with a 14-2 run for an 18-14 first half lead.
The Huskies never trailed after that, stretching their lead to 16 points late in the half before settling for a 39-28 advantage at intermission.
Temple shaved the deficit to six on two occasions in the second half, but Connecticut finally pulled away, pushing the lead as many as 17 points in the last minute.
The Huskies hit 51.8 percent of their shots from the field, while the Owls made only 35.9 percent from the floor.
