UConn Hoops: Huskies escape Butler, win third straight
Away games have never been a sure thing for Dan Hurley’s UConn men’s basketball teams. In their first 14 games, the team played just a pair on the road and had no success. They lost close to now No. 2 Kansas, but were dominated by unranked Seton Hall. On Friday, the Huskies had an opportunity to place a win in the books when they took on Butler, who is slightly better than Seton Hall.
It was a back and forth affair between two of the best offenses in the conference and it did not disappoint. The Huskies hit on 38% of their 26 tries from deep, but they were still outshot. Butler drilled eight of 17 threes, which was one of the main factors that kept them ahead for 21 minutes.
Regardless of lead time for either squad, it was Cam Spencer’s massive offensive rebound and subsequent triple that put the game to sleep and gave Connecticut a 88-81 win. The play kept the possession alive for Connecticut when they were only up by four, and with 47 seconds left, erased any hope for the Bulldogs.
Spencer didn’t have a knockout outing, but he did what he needed to do for his Huskies to escape Hinkle Fieldhouse. That heads-up play on the rebound was one of four, to go along with his 14 points and three assists. He connected on just two of his seven three point attempts, but the last one felt like it counted a bit extra. Spencer is not going to always give the team the same thing, but he always does something positive, which is what the team needs from their fifth-year.
It also didn’t aid the Huskies that their big man depth was severely lacking. With Donovan Clingan still sidelined by his ankle injury, the responsibility falls on Alex Karaban and Samson Johnson. Even with both making their contributions on the offensive end, they found themselves in foul trouble. The pair was in and out of the game, playing a combined 50 minutes. This also led to free throws aplenty for the Bulldogs, as they shot 25 and made 23.
Karaban had the better performance of the two, scoring 20 on 10 shots and five boards. However, the sophomore fouled out with a moment to go, which was not ideal. The team did well to survive in lieu of this, but it could have been a game-changing moment in a tight game.
Johnson had a respectable 8-6 line, but was limited to 20 minutes. It’s no shock that the junior is experiencing foul issues in the first extended playing time of his career, as it’s often an obstacle that less experienced players face. Johnson will need to get past this though, as UConn desperately needs him out there on the floor. The team got a valuable nine minutes out of freshman Jaylin Stewart that they can’t always count on, so Johnson will need to do his best to keep himself off the bench.
One freshman who keeps getting better is Stephon Castle, the projected first rounder. Castle is still finding his footing after returning from an early-season knee injury, but seems to be hitting his stride. He notched 14 points, nine boards and four assists in front of nearly two-dozen NBA scouts. As positive as that line is, the number that stands out is his one three, doubling his season mark. Castle’s shooting is a major concern from those around the league and him improving there will serve his draft status and the Huskies well.
Connecticut had their struggles on defense early, which didn’t necessarily stop as the game went. They trailed 12-7 early and were getting lit up by DJ Davis, the UC Irvine transfer. He showed no fear in putting the ball up, taking a team-high 19 shots. Nobody else took more than 10. It didn’t quite work out, with his fatigue showing at the end and a result of 22 points, not amazing for his volume.
Even as UConn stormed back to take a 23-22 lead, Butler went on a 9-0 run. That helped them finish the half up by seven, a deficit the Huskies hadn’t come back from in three years.
Castle’s personal 5-0 run tied the contest up just five minutes into the second half and then things got exciting. Every shot by one side seemed to be matched by the other, with neither team leading by more than four until there were seven minutes left.
That was when Karaban nailed a triple to get the Huskies ahead 67-60, but it was quickly matched by Davis’. Just as Connecticut thought they were safe after another run, six straight by Butler closed the gap to one point. UConn remained poised and gutted it out, ultimately emerging with the seven point win.
It wasn’t a gorgeous game, but given everything that the Huskies had against them, it was an encouraging effort. The Huskies are now 3-1 in conference, only trailing 3-0 Villanova.
They’ll play next on Wednesday when they stay on the road at Xavier.
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