(PHOTO COURTESY OF UCONN HUSKIES – STEPHEN SLADE)
UConn and Seton Hall squared off for their regular-season finale Wednesday night in Gampel Pavillion. The Huskies came out on top by a score of 70-65.
Connecticut’s big three came through again, combining for 52 points and 29 rebounds between Adama Sanogo, Tyrese Martin, and RJ Cole.
Sanogo led the way with another monster double-double, posting a 20 and 16 line. He was the go-to option for the Huskies all night, getting touches in the paint virtually every possession and hauling down monster rebounds over two or three Seton Hall defenders. Sanogo’s sixteen boards came almost in a dead split between the offensive and defensive glass, with seven on the offensive side and nine on the defensive, a testament to how active Sanogo was in all facets of the game. He tallied on three blocks as well, putting the rest of the Big East on notice, cementing himself as one of the best big men in the conference.
Sanogo was not working alone, with Cole and Martin at his side all night. Cole’s role in the game was nothing new to people following UConn basketball this season. The former Howard transfer was his usual calming presence at the point for Connecticut, slowing the pace down and knowing when to distribute and when to get to the rack himself. Cole’s consistency on the offensive end is vital for this UConn team, and the time he is off the court is felt by the entire team. The offense runs stagnant, and a lot of the offensive weight falls on Tyrese Martin’s shoulders.
Martin, like Cole, had another excellent game, which has become expected from him. Posting another double-double himself, Martin was a pit bull on the boards and refused to shy away from contact when taking the ball to the hole, getting to the line for six free throws and sinking five of them. He has picked up his scoring and rebounding pace over his last five games, scoring in double digits each of those, two of which he posted ten or more rebounds as well. Much of the “bucket getting” is done by Martin, who can put his head down and score virtually at will when UConn needs it most.
Jordan Hawkins and Tyler Polley provided some spark off the bench to help the big three, but not in their expected way. Polley and Hawkins are known for their three-point shooting, but their defensive prowess proved invaluable for the Huskies. Hawkins and Polley were the unsung heroes of this UConn team against the Pirates, helping string together scoreless periods where Seton Hall hardly could get a clean look at the rim. Their length, along with the length of the UConn front line, started to bother Seton Hall, and the Pirates’ inability to get consistent scoring in the second half turned out to be the difference-maker.
UConn’s defense was the story of the game, as their previous matchup ended up with a three-point Seton Hall victory where Kadary Richmond single handily took down the entire UConn front line.
The story was different in Storrs on Wednesday. With the sold-out Gampel crowd behind them, the Huskies put on one of their best defensive performances on the season, making an early statement on how this team runs through their defense. When the entire team buys in, the Huskies slow the pace down to a speed they prefer to play at, and they get up to swat shots like no other team in the Big East, a category that they trail only Auburn in when compared against the entire country.
Altogether, the Huskies put together one of their best all-around performances of the year, and it showed in the scorebook. They will look to carry this momentum to their second game out of three in the homestand, where they host Xavier in Storrs Saturday at noon. The game will be televised on FOX.
Go Huskies!
