MBB: Sanogo, Martin double-doubles avenge January loss to Seton Hall
STORRS-The latest men’s basketball poll from the Associated Press was able to forgive the Connecticut Huskies for a rollercoaster week, keeping them in the 24th slot in the latest rankings despite a loss to reeling Xavier and a close win over mediocre St. John’s. On Wednesday night at Gampel Pavilion, they rewarded that faith by getting closer to possibly pricking a conference foe’s bubble.
Behind double-doubles from Adama Sanogo (20 points, 16 rebounds) and Tyese Martin (16 points, 10 rebounds), the Huskies maintained a healthy advantage throughout a Wednesday night visit from the Seton Hall Pirates. The eventual 70-65 victory allowed UConn (18-7, 9-5 Big East) to avenge a Jan. 8 loss to the bearers of blue, who are one of several Big East teams entrenched in the NCAA Tournament’s precarious at-large projections.
No. 24 Connecticut strengthened its own case in the process, leading for the entirety of the second half. Sanogo nearly had his sixth double-double of the season before the first half even let out, coming one rebound short after picking up 12 points, the last of which was a free throw that gave the Huskies an eternal lead. His interior prowess allowed the Huskies to overcome misfires from the outside: UConn shot 33 percent (10-of-30) from the field over the first 20 minutes, including 1-of-10 from three-point range.
Ironically, it was endeavors from beyond the arc that would help UConn build its lasting lead: Isaiah Whaley opened the latter frame with a three-pointer before Martin added one of his own to embark on a 12-point showing over the second half. Seton Hall (15-9, 6-8 Big East) inched its way back into the game through outside shooting of its own, as Jared Rhoden and Jamir Harris united for 21 points over the second half. The UConn lead dwindled to only three after another three, this from the hands of Kadary Richmond, but a final scoring outburst from R.J. Cole helped sink the Pirates for good.
Held in check in the early going, Cole scored 10 points over the final 10:02, putting in 5-of-7 from the field in that span to match Martin with 16 on the night. The UConn lead would never go back down to a single possession in that span allowing them a modicum of personal revenge: the Huskies’ 28-27 halftime lead allowed them to improve to 15-1 when leading after the first 20 minutes. Of that ledger, the only loss came to the Pirates in Newark.
Harris came off the bench to lead the Pirates in scoring with 15, but it likely comes of little consolation to a Seton Hall group trying to claw their way back to first-round bye territory at the upcoming Big East Tournament in Manhattan. The Pirates currently sit in seventh place, two-and-a-half games behind Marquette for the last automatic quarterfinal entry. UConn, on the other hand, moved back into sole possession of the third seed, breaking away from idle Creighton, who currently owns the tiebreaker between the pair.
The Huskies’ homestand continues on Saturday afternoon, which provides another chance for Storrs-based revenge against aforementioned Xavier (12 p.m. ET, Fox). UConn dropped a 74-68 decision to the Musketeers (17-8, 7-7 Big East), who have dropped three of their last four games and five of their previous eight, causing them to fall out of the Top 25 rankings. Wednesday saw them drop an 86-73 at home to St. John’s, with Jack Nunge scoring 22 points for the third straight game.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
