Hawkins, Huskies Dismantle Providence
The Story: Jordan Hawkins scored 20 points and Adama Sanogo and Alex Karaban each had 16 as the No. 18 UConn men dominated in all aspects as it defeated No. 20 Providence 87-69 at Gampel Pavilion on Senior Night last night.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: UConn (21-7, 10-7 Big East) took control with a dominant 50-point second half as Hawkins, Sanogo and the rest pounded the Friars on the glass and inside. This was the team that rose as high as No. 2 in the Associated Press poll before its January swoon.
• UConn, which led by as many as 22, suffocated Providence (20-8, 12-5 Big East) and controlled the glass with a 24-8 advantage on the boards in the second half and 40-20 overall. Providence is one of the top rebounding teams in the nation and could not handle that physical dominance.
• The Huskies scored on 76 percent of their possessions in the second half and methodically built a double-digit lead in handing the Friars their worst loss of the season.
• Tristen Newton added 12 points, seven rebounds and seven assists and Nahiem Alleyne had nine points for the Huskies.
• The Huskies increased their lead over Seton Hall for fifth in the Big East and further staked their claim to a first-round bye in the conference tournament to a full game with three to play.
ALLEYNE SIGHTING: This may or may not be the last time Alleyne plays at Gampel, though he did walk and was honored on Senior Night. But he hit three 3-pointers and looked comfortable with his role.
• Alleyne hasn’t had the shooting year that we expected but is starting to heat up. We hear a lot about statistics and regressing to the mean. Well, if there is a thing as law of averages, Alleyne, who is shooting 25 percent from 3-point range this year, is due for a white-hot 3-point binge.
STATEMENT TO THE COMMITTEE: The Huskies were left out of the top 16 in the NCAA’s bracket reveal and are going to help their case with another quality win.
• The Huskies are a top-10 team, according to the metrics, but the selection committee isn’t giving them credit for their early-season performance. A blowout win over a quality team in Providence should help as the Huskies looked every bit as good as a top-16 team.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: UConn scored 1.3 points per possession and shot 53 percent. It scored 46 points in the paint, had 15 second-chance points and made 12 layups, including seven dunks.
• The shooting has returned for the Huskies as they went 10-for-21 (47.6 percent) from 3-point range and 13-for-14 from the free throw line.
• Kentucky transfer Bryce Hopkins had 16 points, just below his season average, for Providence, which shot 41.5 percent and went 8-for-20 from 3-point range.
UP NEXT: The Huskies head to Madison Square Garden on Saturday for a noon matchup with St. John’s.
— John Silver
Morning Reads
• The No. 4-ranked women’s basketball team will be confronting two opponents a day throughout the rest of the season: the team on the other side of the court — and fatigue. (Hearst Connecticut Media)
• Next year’s Connecticut Ice tournament, which pits the UConn, Yale, Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart men’s hockey teams against each other in a four-team, two-day event, will take place at the XL Center. (Hearst Connecticut Media)
Top photo: UConn’s Adama Sanogo takes a shot during the game against Georgetown. (Ian Bethune for The UConn Daily)
