MBB: Huskies add to Georgetown’s misery, earns 12th Big East victory
WASHINGTON D.C.-Visitors to Capital One Arena are no doubt used to three’s paving way the way to victory: Bradley Beal is in the midst of his 10th season in the nation’s capital with the Wizards, while the NHL’s Capitals have enjoyed the hat tricks of Alex Ovechkin for even longer.
On Sunday, the University of Connecticut Huskies men’s basketball team decided to use such a strategy against their hosts.
No. 21 UConn put in 11-of-20 from three-point range against the Georgetown Hoyas, with leading scorer R.J. Cole sinking 4-of-6 en route to a team-best 18 points. It was enough to propel the Huskies (21-7, 12-5 Big East) to an 86-77 victory, keeping pace with their ranked brethren from Providence and Villanova. UConn also earned its 12th Big East victory, tying their best tally in conference play since their run to the national championship in 2013-14. Their fifth consecutive win also ties a season-long.
The attack from the outside defined the Huskies’ weekend endeavors, as seven different participants hit at least one triple (Isaiah Whaley joined Cole as the only reps to sink more than one). Ironically, it was a two-point tally that permanently changed the course of Sunday’s game.
With Georgetown (6-22, 0-17 Big East), lingering in the early stages, nursing a 13-12 lead with nearly 12 minutes to go in the opening half, Andrew Hawkins penetrated the Hoyas’ lane to pull off a powerful, highlight-reel dunk over Aminu Mohammed. It was the first of 11 points for Hawkins, whose scoring efforts off the bench were matched by Tyler Polley. Hawkins later capped off the opening stanza with a banked layup with just over four seconds remaining, creating a 41-26 margin sustained by the 29-13 run his dunk ignited over the final dozen-plus minutes.
UConn was mostly able to coast from there on out, leading by as much as 22 in the second half before relenting. In addition to the double-figure scoring efforts, Tyrese Martin pulled down 14 rebounds, averaging 11 over his last four games. In other Connecticut affairs, experienced reserve Akok Akok played six minutes after missing the last seven contests with a foot injury.
For the losing hosts, Dante Harris led all scorers with 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-4 from three-point range. Georgetown, the defending champions of Manhattan’s Big East Tournament, has now dropped 18 in a row, the worst such streak in program history. UConn earned a sweep of the Hoyas for the second consecutive season, their longest since amassing an 11-game streak between 1998 and 2006.
The Huskies face one more big test before both their Senior Day and Big East Tournament proceedings, as a battle for the third seed in the latter competition ensues on Wednesday
against Creighton in Omaha (8:30 p.m. ET, FS1). That spot behind the Friars and Wildcats is up for grabs after the Bluejays (19-9, 11-6 Big East) fell to the former by 21 on Saturday night. Creighton would own the head-to-head tiebreaker with another win over Connecticut, as they won the first meeting 59-55 on Feb. 1 in Hartford. UConn is seeking its first win in program history over the Bluejays, whose 4-0 mark is the best perfect showing for a Husky opponent (only they, Kansas, and Niagara have secured a perfect record against UConn in at least three meetings).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
