UConn Hoops: Huskies trudge through victory against Hoyas
On the Sunday before students came back to campus one year ago, the UConn men’s basketball team reached their lowest point of the season. They produced a stinker against a mediocre St. John’s team as a part of their month-long lull in January. In what was a similar setting, Connecticut lined up against Georgetown, though entering this time with a four game win streak instead of three losses in their last four.
Even as they haven’t been nearly as dominant as they were to open the season, the “January rut” has seemingly been nonexistent. Halfway through the month, they improved to 4-0 with an 80-67 win over Georgetown, one of the Big East’s bottomfeeders.
It didn’t come without struggle. Even as 20 point favorites at home against the sub-150 Hoyas, Connecticut never got into the groove they often do. Every time they seemed poised to break the game open, Georgetown snuffed it with a run of their own. The Hoyas led for 23 seconds in the first two minutes of the game and never really threatened.
“I thought the game went exactly as we prepared for it to go mentally,” coach Dan Hurley told the media postgame. “Nothing in this league is easy, especially when it's a team coached by Ed Cooley. Obviously some unsustainable things are going on with us, the defensive rebounding is an issue, having that force in the paint, so we’re going to have to figure out a way there.”
Supreme Cook was a large reason Georgetown was in the game for as long as they were, with the big man feasting on UConn’s thin frontcourt. He drew a few fouls on Samson Johnson early and 16 point, 10 board double double by the half. The former Fairfield player muscled his team to a nine point deficit. While Cook was excelling in the opening half, Big East leading scorer Jayden Epps was held to a single field goal.
On the Huskies’ side, it was difficult for anyone but Alex Karaban to generate much early. The forward notched 19 points in the first half, finishing with 26. The game could have been a disaster had Karaban not tied his career-high, with this arguably being his best game as a Husky. Johnson, at the other forward slot, never figured it out.
“[Karaban] and Cam [Spencer] are great,” Hurley noted. “Any time it got to eight he would step up and make a shot, make a play. It never really felt comfortable out there.. Samson [Johnson] had a tough night, T-New [Tristen Newton] couldn’t really find his rhythm out there. We needed that type of performance from those guys [Karaban and Spencer] to get out of here with a semi-comfortable win.”
It seemed that Epps and Cook completely swapped their ability to produce in the second half, with the former contributing more to the effort. Cook, on the other hand, was left empty handed. Before fouling out with 6:21 left, he connected on just one more bucket, preventing the Hoyas from making a run at the win.
Big in the second half effort for the Huskies was Cam Spencer, who finished the game with 20. Known for his shooting, he delivered in that department, nailing five of his seven tries from deep. Him and Karaban (6/8 from three) led the team to an eye-popping 54% from downtown, their best night of the season by over 7%. He also showed a fair bit of toughness with seven boards, an area that his home squad generally struggled with.
The Huskies allowed 15 offensive rebounds, which is one of the downsides with going small. If they can figure out how to manage without 7-foot-2 Donovan Clingan, who seems close to a return, then they’ll be exceptional on the glass when he comes back.
Jaylin Stewart also added some energy, not just on the boards, but to the contest as a whole. Once a non-factor, Stewart has carved out a hole in the rotation for himself with 14 valuable minutes Sunday. His highlight moment was when he found a gaping hole in the defense, allowing him to deliver a big slam, as he’s been a nice surprise for the Huskies.
While rebounding may suffer, passing is not a department that falls to the wayside when it comes to undersized lineups. What Connecticut was lacking on the defensive glass, they made up for in their 18-4 assist difference. Letting up just four dimes is exceptional in its own right, but their ability to swing the rock wasn’t too bad either.
Though Tristen Newton had a poor day as a scorer, he accounted for nearly half of the Huskies’ dimes. His 9-8-7 line looks like a solid outing on paper, but his shooting and general energy wasn’t as positive as it often is. He forced a number of looks on the way to 2/11 efficiency, which is an encouraging sign for the team. If he can do this poorly and the team still emerges victorious, it shows their depth.
Stephon Castle also had a unique day, drawing a lot of fouls, but not doing much from the field. He’s been making fewer mistakes than he did earlier in the season and nailed 9/12 free throws. He put his stamp on the contest with four assists and four rebounds too, finding a different way to contribute on a nightly basis.
The schedule tightens up now, with the Huskies facing three KenPom top 31 teams in a row. They open that stretch at home this Wednesday against Creighton, holding a 5-1 record in the Big East, tied for first. With a 4-2 record, the Bluejays are in fourth.
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