HARTFORD, Conn. — UConn fans lined up outside Hartford’s XL Center, some as early as seven hours before tip-off, eager to watch the men’s basketball team take on Big East rival Villanova on Wednesday. In another game where the program’s identity was tested, the Huskies made shots in key moments and satisfied its deafening crowd with a tightly contested 74-66 victory.
It is just the second time UConn (14-0) beat Villanova in eight contests since the 2014 NCAA Tournament Round of 32.
Jordan Hawkins, who scored UConn’s first points three minutes in from the free-throw line and finished with a team-high 22 points, converted on a spectacular 3-pointer while being fouled and made the bonus free throw to give the Huskies some breathing room, 16-12.
A rare display of frustration began to take over the Huskies later in the half as Adama Sanogo was whistled for his second foul as he attempted to contest a Brandon Slater 3-point attempt. Despite coach Dan Hurley and the 16,000 supporters in attendance who disagreed, Slater made all three free throws to bring the score within one and the Huskies turned the ball over on a backcourt violation the next possession. The under-8 minute media timeout came at a critical time for the Huskies, who began to veer from the identity so consistently preached.
Following the timeout, UConn sped out on an 8-0 run with a midrange shot from Hawkins, a timely 3-pointer from Alex Karaban and another deep ball from Hawkins after he drew a charge on the defensive end. With just over three minutes left in the half, Andre Jackson made his first 3-pointer of the game in front of the Villanova bench, similar to last game against Georgetown, but was again called for a technical foul.
The Wildcats, led by the scoring of Slater, Eric Dixon and Caleb Daniels, finished the half on a 9-4 run after the two-shot technical that brought the score to 32-21 in the Huskies’ favor at the break.
A layup from Dixon right after the break gave Villanova the lead and UConn its second deficit in the second half all season, the only other time was against Georgetown, which resulted in a 13th straight double-digit UConn win.
Karaban, keen for the big moments, tied the game at 36 with his third 3-pointer of the night. About 90 seconds later, Hawkins cued an electrifying roar of the crowd with his fourth long ball that brought the Huskies in front.
A “U-C-O-N-N, UCONN!” chant thundered inside the XL Center after a Karaban put-back gave the defensively dominant Huskies a 45-39 lead with just over 14 minutes to go. A pair of buckets from Donovan Clingan gave the Huskies a 10-point lead, the largest of the game for either team, with 11:52 left.
Jackson made his second 3-pointer of the game from the corner to give the Huskies a 63-57 lead with 2:15 to go, bringing the crowd to its feet where it’d remain to see the game out.
UConn was outrebounded 32-29, but Karaban’s 15 points and Jackson’s 10 were enough combined with Hawkins’ 22, to down the Wildcats, who were led by 20 points from Daniels and 18 from Dixon. UConn flexed its muscles defensively, especially in the second half where Hassan Diarra came off the bench to snatch four steals. Villanova shot 43% from the field but made just 5 of 22 from deep, while UConn made due with 39.6% shooting and 30% from 3.
The Huskies scored 21 points off 18 Villanova turnovers.
UConn returns to action for a ranked New Years Eve matchup in Cincinnati against No. 22 Xavier at noon on Saturday.
