University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
15-6,6-4Big East
Villanova
17-6,10-3Big East
No. 17 Men's Hoops Falls, 85-74 at No. 12 Villanova
2/5/2022 3:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — RJ Cole led three Huskies in double-figures with 25 points and made all nine of his attempts from the free throw line, but it wasn't enough as the No. 17 University of Connecticut men's basketball team dropped an 85-74 decision to No. 12 Villanova in Philadelphia. With the loss, the Huskies slip to 15-6 on the year and 6-4 in BIG EAST action. The Wildcats improve to 17-6, 10-3.
Adama Sanogo and Tyrese Martin each added 14 points on a combined 12-18 shooting and Jordan Hawkins made three of his four attempts from beyond the three-point arc to tally nine points.
The Wildcats played the final 6:53 without defending BIG EAST Player of the Year Collin Gillespie and the entire game without second-leading scorer Justin Moore (sprained left ankle). That opened the door for the Huskies to cut a 23-point hole to 10 with 2 minutes left.
The Wildcats sealed the win at the free-throw line and made 21 of 22 overall.
After trailing by 14 late in the first half, Cole buried a half-court shot as the first stanza expired to cut the deficit to 11 points, 40-29, at the break. UConn came out firing in the second half and pulled to within seven points, 47-40, on a Sanogo jumper less than four-minutes into the second session.
However, Villanova seized control of the game by scoring the next 12 points. The run was ignited when Chris Arcidiacono hit a 3, Caleb Daniels turned a steal into a dunk, Eric Dixon scored off a UConn turnover, and then came the shot of the game: Gillespie fired a 3 and the ball took a high bounce off the rim, a second bounce, then two taps off the rim and in for a 57-40 lead.
WEATHER DELAY
The Huskies' chartered flight couldn't leave Connecticut for weather reasons, so they made a long bus trip Friday night. It's going to feel like a longer trip home -- the Huskies haven't beaten Villanova since 2014 (0-5).
UP NEXT
UConn: Hosts Marquette on Tuesday at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut.
Villanova: Plays Tuesday against St. John's at Madison Square Garden
