A stop-and-go season started again for UConn men's hoops on Saturday afternoon, but the long layoff left its mark in a disappointing loss. Seton Hall buried the Huskies early, then held on across the second half to win 80-73 at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn.

This was the Huskies' (8-4, 5-4 Big East) first game in 11 days. Jalen Gaffney led the way with a career-high 20 points while freshman Adama Sanogo and R.J. Cole each added 12 and Tyrese Martin had 10.

Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 22 points with seven rebounds to lead the Pirates (11-8, 8-5). Myles Cale added 20 and Jared Rhoden 11.

After trailing 36-18 with 4:02 to play in the first half, UConn started to heat up and cut the lead to 38-29 at the break. The highlight of the day came from Andre Jackson, who threw down a thunderous putback dunk after a miss from Gaffney.

The Huskies rallied in the second half but never got closer than within two points - 38-36 with 17:52 left - in the second half. This was Seton Hall’s first win at Gampel since Feb. 8, 1992 and first win in Connecticut since March 1, 1997.

WHAT WENT WELL

Gaffney Makes His Move: UConn head coach Dan Hurley said the sophomore guard needed to be one of his playmakers, and that’s exactly what Gaffney did in 25 minutes off the bench. It was just his second double-digit scoring game this season, but his offense, which included 11 second-half points, helped the Huskies climb back into it. Noteworthy was his 8-for-9 at the foul line, where the Huskies were a much-improved combined 21-for-25. However, his defense needs some work.

Dan Hurley: “He had his best practice I’ve ever seen him have two days ago. He was tremendous. … He’s in a much better frame of mind.”

Jalen Gaffney: “I definitely thought it was a breakthrough offensively. I was hitting shots and making my free throws.”

Jackson Makes Noise in His Return: The freshman had been sidelined with a wrist injury, but Hurley and the team's medical staff determined he was ready to play. Jackson responded with that big dunk the first half and flashed his talents throughout. He also dropped a 3-pointer and added four rebounds.

Hurley: “Dre, yeah. We wanted to play him 15-18 minutes and the fact we got him to 20 is encouraging. And obviously, we’re excited about getting him out there more. … He’s just scratching the surface.”

Jackson: “It’s been a pretty up and down freshman year for me. … I’m definitely enjoying playing and just getting out there.”

WHAT NEEDS WORK

Rough Day Defensively: The Huskies came into the game ranked first in the conference in a number of key categories including scoring. On Saturday, the Huskies allowed their highest point total of the season. The defense - a Hurley staple - seemed a step slow, especially in the first half. Seton Hall shot 50 percent (22-for-44) for the game, including 57.9 percent (11-for-19) in the second half. UConn also failed to come up with timely stops when it had the game in reach again through most of the second half.

Jalen Gaffney: “We went on runs, but we couldn’t get the stop.”

Hurley: “I think they just took us. We didn’t play good enough individual defense. [...] They are a lot to deal with. … Bottom line for us you can’t get down 18 against a team that good offensively. It was a little too huge a hill to climb.”

Rust: It’s hard to build momentum in a season when you keep taking unplanned lengthy layoffs. Coming off their third COVID-related stoppage, the Huskies looked sluggish and out of synch. As Seton Hall built an early 13-2 lead, UConn went 1-for-9 from the field, committed five turnovers and was outrebounded 10-4.

Hurley: “Nobody wants the pauses, everyone wants to play. That was a byproduct of not having the chance to play. … When you go pause, it hurts. It’s not an excuse, it’s just a reality.”

Senior Struggles: The Huskies’ senior trio of Isaiah Whaley, Tyler Polley and Josh Carlton all struggled. Whaley scored just two points with two rebounds, but did have four blocks. Polley scored all five points late, while Carlton produced two rebounds in five minutes off the bench and has almost become an afterthought in the rotation.

Hurley: “We need more from our older guys.”

MISC. NOTES

This was the first meeting between the schools in eight years. … Jackson was available to play for the first time since Dec. 20. Akok Akok and James Bouknight (elbow) remain out. Hurley on Bouknight: “He’s at the point now where he’s going to be a game-time decision moving forward.” … Whaley leads the Big East with 2.8 blocks per game.

UP NEXT

Wednesday, at Providence, 4 p.m. (FS1)