MBB: Clutch Cole closes Connecticut classic over No.8 Villanova
HARTFORD - A sellout crowd at XL Center gained one member in the midst of Tuesday’s Big East men’s basketball showdown between the Connecticut Huskies and the Villanova Wildcats. Despite his late arrival, perhaps none were more overjoyed at the final result than UConn head coach Dan Hurley.
In an attempt to pump up the 15,564 packed into Civic Center Plaza, Hurley was ejected through a pair of controversial technical fouls. His departure wasn’t enough to derail the momentum he helped generate, as No. 21 UConn (20-7, 11-5 Big East) earned a 71-69 victory over the eighth-ranked Wildcats. R.J. Cole provided the winning points through a driving floater with five seconds remaining, creating the 18th and final lead change of the night.
Facing off for the third time since UConn made its way back to the Big East, a classic conference showdown played out in front of the Huskies’ faithful. The end result was UConn’s first regular season win over a top ten opponent since they defeated No. 6 Syracuse over nine years prior. Connecticut also snapped a five-game losing streak against their reacquainted conference rivals, besting Villanova for the first time since a showdown in the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 32 en route to the 2014 edition’s national title.
Hurley’s ejection came with just under five minutes remaining in the first half. The Huskies’ head coach, frustrated over a lack of visiting foul calls the Villanova basket, was called for a technical foul as the Wildcats took the ball back up the court. As his players showed their appreciation for his animated response, Hurley turned to the seating area behind the Connecticut bench and encouraged supporters of the home team to raise the volume. Officials charged Hurley with another technical, leading assistant and associate head coach Kimani Young to take over for the remainder of the game upon his mandated departure.
Villanova initially took advantage of the situation, as Collin Gillespie sank three of the four throws stemming from Hurley’s infractions before Jermaine Samuels’ triple finished off a six-point swing. To the tune of Hartford’s cheers, encouraged by the ejected Hurley, Cole sank a triple on the other end before an Isaiah Whaley layup retied the game. UConn squeaked out a 33-32 halftime lead, closing a 20-minute stretch where neither team led by more than six. The Big East’s trademark physicality and chippiness were on full display, further defined by a double-technical situation between Andre Jackson and Justin Moore under the UConn basket.
True to Big East fashion, each side’s stars showed up at the right times. Connecticut’s second half was kickstarted by a pair of triples from Tyrese Martin, the energizers behind a 10-2 run that created the largest lead of the night at 43-36. Anchored by the long-tenured Gillespie, Villanova refused to go away, keeping their bid for a Big East regular season title alive through a
three-point barrage. Free throws from Gillespie and Brandon Slater gave the Wildcats a seemingly safe 69-65 lead with 46 seconds remaining.
But the spirits of the Big East had other plans in mind: a Tyler Polley triple sliced the lead to one after Caleb Daniels missed the front end of a lead-extending one-and-one free throw chance. Guaranteed a one-possession game even with successful free throws from a possible intentional foul, UConn instead secured the ball back when Cole and Andre Jackson cornered Gillespie near the Husky bench to force a jump ball with the possession arrowed pointed the home team’s way.
Cole earned his heroics in more ways than one: his winning basket only became the victorious margin after he drew a Gillespie charge on the last defensive stand. A desperate Villanova attempt to extend the game put Jackson at the line for free throws with less than a second remaining, creating the official final score.
Adama Sanogo led the way for the Huskies with 20 points, with Whaley and Cole following with 13 and 12 respectively. Martin fell just short of a double-double with nine points and rebounds each while Gillespie led the visitors with 17 tallies. Villanova is tied with Providence for the conference lead (though the Friars have four games in hand) while the Huskies once move into sole possession of third-place pending a result from idle Creighton (who faces St. John’s on Wednesday).
UConn will look to keep the momentum of this potentially iconic victory on Sunday afternoon when they head to Washington D.C. to battle the Georgetown Hoyas (12 p.m. ET, CBS). The defending conference tournament champion Hoyas (6-20, 0-15 Big East) are trapped in the midst of a 15-game losing streak, each defeat coming against conference competition. Storrs hosted the first seasonal meeting between the squads back on Jan. 25, with Huskies prevailing 96-73 behind five double-figure scoring performances, led by Sanogo’s 19.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
