Hawkins, UConn Can’t Catch Xavier
The Story: The men’s basketball team rallied from a 15-point halftime deficit last night against Xavier but eventually fell short as the Big East-leading Musketeers prevailed, 82-79, at Gampel Pavilion.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Jordan Hawkins caught fire in the second half, when he scored 26 of his game-high 28 points and led a furious comeback that put the Huskies (16-6, 5-6 Big East) within striking distance of the Musketeers (17-4, 9-1), who handed then-No. 2 UConn its first loss of the season on Dec. 31.
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES: UConn turned it into a one-possession game and had several chances to either tie the score or take the lead after pulling within two points with less than three minutes left.
• Turnovers and a timeout killed at least three opportunities and a final missed chance came with 2.1 seconds left and UConn down by three when Tristen Newton inadvertently made a second free throw instead of clanking it off the rim and hoping for a putback.
• The Huskies’ last-gasp effort failed when Newton couldn’t get off a 3-point shot near halfcourt after a long inbounds pass from Andre Jackson Jr. with 1.8 seconds to go.
UNTIMELY TIMEOUT: Dan Hurley called a timeout with UConn down by three and 20 seconds remaining and nine seconds left on the shot clock. As the timeout was being signaled, Hawkins hit a two-point shot near the top of the key, but the basket didn’t count.
• In the end, the timeout proved costly because UConn, despite two more scoring opportunities, didn’t pull within one point again until Newton’s two free throws with 2.1 seconds left.
• Hurley later said he called the timeout because he “didn’t like how the possession was going.”
COMEBACK KUDOS: UConn, which has now lost four out of its last five games and six of its last eight, was rattled at the start of the game and found itself trailing 9-0 after only four minutes, forcing Hurley to scuttle his man defense and go to a zone.
• Nevertheless, while the Huskies have had trouble finishing games in recent weeks, they looked like a completely different team in the second half.
• Intense full-court pressure and Hawkins’ masterful shooting sparked UConn’s surge as the raucous fans at Gampel were clamoring for the Huskies to complete the comeback.
• With Hawkins hitting 5-for-8 from 3-point range, the Huskies quickly carved Xavier’s lead down to one on a Hawkins’ free throw with 10:59 left. But UConn, which trailed by as many as 17, never took the lead.
THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY: If it wasn’t Hawkins hitting a big shot, it was Newton, who tied his season high with 23 points, 15 in the second half.
• Newton also had five of the Huskies’ 12 turnovers and together, he and Hawkins had trouble defensively trying to defend the Musketeers’ guard tandem of Souley Boum and Colby Jones, who finished with 21 and 20 points, respectively.
• Meanwhile, it was a dreadful offensive game for Jackson, who can often be too aggressive for his own good. Baited into taking shots, he missed his first seven and ended up with six points on 3-for-12 shooting.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: OK, this doesn’t appear in the box, but the Huskies were 1-for-13 from 3-point range in the first half. Behind Hawkins, UConn’s 9-for-15 effort in the second half helped make the final 3-point numbers look more respectable (10-for-28, 35.7 percent).
• Adama Sanogo was the only other UConn player in double figures with 11 points. He also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, five on the offensive end, as the Huskies owned a 34-29 rebounding edge.
• Xavier shot 53.4 percent while UConn shot 41 percent.
• The UConn bench was a non-factor, scoring only six points combined compared to 17 for Xavier. Joey Calcaterra missed all three of his shot attempts, all from 3-point range.
WHAT DID HURLEY SAY? “Giving up 53 percent (shooting) at home? That’s not who we are. And in terms of offensive execution, you can’t put yourself in a 17-point hole versus quality like that and expect to be able to dig yourself out. … This group has got to put this game behind us. This bye comes at a good time for us to regroup. … Obviously, we have a bunch of things we’ve got to do, but that team is still there that has the quality.”
UP NEXT: UConn gets a much-needed six-day break before resuming play. The Huskies don’t play again until Jan. 31 at DePaul (8 p.m., FS1).
UConn Renews Rivalry With Tennessee
The Story: The women’s basketball team take a brief detour from its Big East schedule to continue its historic rivalry with Tennessee at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville tonight (8 p.m., ESPN).
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The No. 5 Huskies (18-2) will meet the Lady Vols (16-6) for the 26th time in a series that has included four national championship showdowns. And even though Tennessee comes into the game unranked, it’s still considered a marquee game, especially since ESPN’s “College GameDay” will be on hand for the festivities.
HISTORY LESSON: UConn owns a 16-9 edge in what could be considered the greatest rivalry in the history of women’s college basketball, dating to 1995.
• Once upon a time, the UConn-Tennessee battle seemed to occur almost annually, with much at stake for the two winningest programs in the sport. They have combined to win 19 national championships, led by two Hall of Fame coaches in Geno Auriemma and the late Pat Summitt.
• The recent renewal of the matchup has been all Huskies so far. Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper, now in her fourth season, is 0-3 against UConn, which won last season’s game, 75-56, in Hartford, as Azzi Fudd led the way with 25 points. The two teams last met in Knoxville two years ago, with the Huskies coming out on top, 67-61.
WHAT ABOUT THE LADY VOLS? Tennessee began the season with much promise and was ranked No. 5 — one spot ahead of UConn — in the preseason AP poll. But the Lady Vols lost their opener to Ohio State and four of their first six games, including back-to-back losses to UCLA and Gonzaga.
• The other losses came against then-No. 9 Virginia Tech by three and then-No. 2 Stanford by seven. But since then, Tennessee has rattled off nine straight wins, including Sunday’s 68-65 victory over Missouri and sits just outside the top 25 as the first team among “others receiving votes.”
• Like the Huskies, Tennessee has had its issues keeping players healthy. In December, the Lady Vols lost one of their best players, center Tamari Key, for the season due to blood clots in her lungs.
• On Sunday, the Lady Vols were without all-SEC guard Jordan Horston due to an illness and her availability for tonight’s game is still uncertain. Rickea Jackson (18 points per game) and Horston (15.2) are Tennessee’s top two scorers.
AS FOR THE HUSKIES … : UConn, which enters the game on an 11-game win streak, is expected to have only eight players available again.
• Fudd is still recovering from a right knee injury and Caroline Ducharme remains in the concussion protocol. Ducharme has yet to play in 2023, missing seven straight games, while Fudd has been sidelined for the past three. There has been no report on their respective returns.
WHAT DID GENO SAY? “The most challenging thing about playing Tennessee is the size factor, the athleticism factor, the crowd factor that is going to be down there, the circus-like atmosphere that surrounds a Connecticut-Tennessee game, even though it’s not quite at the level [it once was]. It’s not the Beatles.”
Morning Reads
• The football team announced the addition of seven transfers: Michigan tight end Louis Hansen, Maine quarterback Joe Fagnano, Kansas linebacker Eriq Gilyard, Richmond defensive lineman Ray Eldridgeand three defensive backs in Washington’s Zakhari Spears, West Virginia’s Mumu Bin Wahad and Delaware’s Noah Plack-Tallerico. (Hartford Courant)
• The Red Sox designated reliever Matt Barnes for assignment, ending the former UConn standout’s time with the team after nine seasons. (Boston.com)
• Although Tage Thompson isn’t scoring as many goals for the Sabres as he did earlier in the season, he’s still producing on offense. (Buffalo News)
Top photo: Dan Hurley coaches during the Huskies’ game against Georgetown. (Ian Bethune for The UConn Daily)
