CINCINNATI — The UConn men’s basketball, looking for a second straight win over a ranked conference opponent, ran into a desperate Xavier team and dropped a 74-68 Big East decision at the Cintas Center on Friday night.
With 30.6 seconds left in the game, UConn guard R.J. Cole drained both free throws to bring the No. 24 Huskies within three points. Xavier’s Paul Scruggs made only one free throw and with 23 seconds left Cole missed a jumper that clinched the game for the Musketeers.
UConn’s defense struggled mightily against the No. 25 Musketeers in the second half. The Huskies failed to challenge Xavier around the rim, surrendering 22 points in the paint. The usually physical and dominant UConn defense struggled to play without fouling in the first half, leading to easy looks for the Musketeers in the second half. They shot 14 for 23 (60.9%) from the field.
One of the few bright spots was junior Jalen Gaffney’s play. He has seen his minutes dwindle this season, but showed signs of hope for the future. As soon as the guard subbed in the first half, he immediately impacted the game by taking it to the hoop and making a tough layup. Gaffney injected some life into a struggling offense and helped keep the game within reach early. He finished with seven points on 3-for-3 shooting from the field.
Xavier’s Jack Nunge finished with 22 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the field. Cole led UConn with 22 points on 8-for-17 shooting from the field.
The Huskies are now 16-7 and 7-5 in the Big East. Xavier breaks a two-game conference losing streak and improves to 17-7 overall and 7-6 in the Big East.
In the early minutes, the offensive execution on both sides left a lot to be desired.
UConn forward Adama Sanogo picked up his second foul at the 14:23 mark and was limited the rest of the half. At media timeout at 12:37, UConn led 10-7 with both teams shooting a combined 7 for 23 (30.4%) from the field.
Coming off the media timeout the Huskies came out with a different offensive approach and started driving the ball to the rim. They took it to the rim on the first three plays, leading to three separate trips to the free-throw line. UConn’s inability to corral defensive rebounds has cost them in pivotal moments this season, and it occurred yet again. At the 5:25 mark, Isaiah Whaley blocked Zach Freemantle’s layup, and a frantic scramble for the ball ensued, ending up in the hands of Xavier’s Scruggs, who passed the ball to Nunge, who drained a 3 to put Xavier up 25-22.
One of UConn’s biggest strengths is its rebounding, but with players in foul trouble and the Musketeers’ high energy, they outrebounded the Huskies 19-15. Every 50-50 rebound seemed to go Xavier’s way, leading to pivotal momentum-shifting plays. Nate Johnson drained a 3 to beat the buzzer and put Xavier up 34-31 at the half.
The Musketeers came out of the half with a purpose and quickly found themselves up 42-34 after a layup by Freemantle. This was the largest lead Xavier had up to this point and it prompted a UConn timeout.
Tyrese Martin had a strong take to the hoop on the next play, which led to an and-1 opportunity which he converted. Every time the Huskies would get close, the Musketeers would answer with pivotal baskets. Martin hit a 3 at 11:41 to cut the lead to 49-46, and it seemed like signs of hope for the Huskies. Xavier answered with a 5-0 run. With UConn trailing by five, UConn coach Dan Hurley got hit with a technical foul. Xavier drained both free throws.
