MBB: Villanova deals No. 17 Huskies worst loss, first losing streak
PHILADELPHIA - Returning to the Big East Conference has allowed the University of Connecticut men’s basketball program to relive some incredible experiences. Alas for the program, the modern Huskies have yet to experience a win over the Villanova Wildcats.
UConn (15-6, 6-4 Big East) was dealt its most one-sided loss of the season on Saturday afternoon at Wells Fargo Center. Eric Dixon’s double-double effort (24 points, 12 rebounds) led the way for the 12th-ranked Wildcats (17-6. 10-3 Big East), who rolled to an 85-74 victory. The Huskies haven’t beaten Villanova since their 2014 run to the national title when they got past the Wildcats in the Round of 32.
In addition to suffering their first double-figure defeat in nearly a full calendar year (falling by 11 to Providence last Feb. 10), the Huskies now have to deal with their first losing streak of the season. The 11-point final turned out to be a respectable margin of defeat, as Villanova’s second half lead ballooned to as high as 23 in the middle stages. That advantage was built through a 20-4 run over a seven-minute span that saw UConn lose five turnovers.
That stretch was one of two cold periods that sank the Huskies: they scored the first five points off the hands of Tyrese Martin and held Villanova scoreless over the first three minutes but then allowed six-plus to fall off the clock without a field goal after an Isaiah Whaley gave them an 8-5 lead with 16:12 to go in the first. The Wildcats took a permanent lead in that span while Connecticut could only keep pace at the free throw line thanks to a 36 percent shooting effort from the field over the first 20 minutes.
Fueled primarily by the interior efforts of Dixon, Villanova made the most of easy opportunities: 46 of their 85 points came in the paint and they outscored Connecticut 32-14 via layup.
R.J. Cole led the way for the Huskies with 25 points, all but nine coming in the second half. His effort was marred by a team-worst five turnovers and a joint technical in the latter frame shared with Caleb Daniels after things became physical. Adama Sanogo sank 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting while Martin matched the scoring output. UConn head coach Dan Hurley was likewise assessed a technical in the second half for arguing foul calls. The hosting Wildcats made the most of their opportunities from the foul line, hitting all but one of their 22 attempts.
Villanova earned the victory mostly sans the services of two key starters: Justin Moore was a late scratch with an ankle injury while Collin Gillespie (19 points) left with an ankle ailment of his own with just under seven minutes remaining. A rematch between the Huskies and Wildcats is scheduled for Feb. 22 in Hartford.
UConn’s opportunity to stop the brief bleeding gets no easier, as they’ll face No. 24 Marquette on Tuesday night at XL Center (6:30 p.m. ET, FS1). The Huskies took the first meeting between the two sides on Dec. 21, when 25 points from Martin paced a 78-70 victory in Milwaukee.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
