(PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS – JESSICA HILL)
UConn dominated in Storrs and rolled to a 96-73 victory in Gampel late Tuesday night over Georgetown.
Heavy favorites coming into the game, UConn was trying to avoid a trap game against a Georgetown team that played Villanova tough last week. After pounding the ball down low in the first half and scoring 52 points, the Hoyas hung around on the back of 8-12 three-point shooting in the first half. Donald Carey had the lead cut to 5 with less than 5 minutes left in the first half with his second straight three, but that was as close as the Hoyas would get. The story of this one was the offense for UConn, and it was front and center all game. Andre Jackson displayed UConn’s explosiveness the best as he threw down a massive jam in the first couple of minutes that set the tone and got the 7,000+ in attendance off of their feet.
ANDRE JACKSON!!! Hang it in the Louvre✈️✈️#ThisIsUConn | #BleedBlue pic.twitter.com/NRb7C3M9at
— UConn Men's Basketball (@UConnMBB) January 26, 2022
A continued necessity in the Huskies offense, Adama Sanogo continued his efficiency on the low block, leading the team with his 19 points while adding in 8 boards, four on the offensive end. Three other Husky starters ended in double digits, with Isaiah Whaley, R.J. Cole, and Tyrese Martin adding 15, 14, and 13 points, respectively. Martin has continued to be a surprise from beyond the arc for the Huskies, shooting over 43%, up over 11% from last year, adding two more threes today on 50% shooting. Martin wasn’t the only hot shooter tonight, as Jordan Hawkins made the most of his 13 minutes, piling in 15 more points off the Huskies’ bench. Hawkins shot 4-7 from beyond the arc; an area Husky fans are desperately looking for him to become a more consistent threat. Tyler Polley has long been the Huskies’ lead sniper, but increased contributions from Hawkins could provide a spark off the bench where they will need valuable minutes in the future.
The UConn front line proved once again that they were rebounding machines. The length of Sanogo, Whaley, Jackson, and Martin led UConn to an all-important +12 rebound differential, leading to an imposing 27 fast break points compared to the Hoyas 6. The Huskies get their excellent rebounding courtesy of fresh legs coming from some of the best depth in the country, where Dan Hurley consistently can play nine different players off the bench. Having Polley, Gaffney, Hawkins, and Akok coming off the bench is a privilege for UConn and is nothing but a positive coming down the stretch, barreling towards March, where fresh legs are at a premium.
UConn improves to 14-4 overall and 5-2 in conference play, good enough for 3rd in the Big East behind Providence and Villanova. Georgetown falls to 6-11 overall and 0-6 in conference play, holding them down in the basement of the Big East.
