University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
15-2,4-2Big East
Creighton University
9-7,3-2Big East
Sanogo, Gampel Crowd Lift Huskies Over Creighton
1/7/2023 5:10:00 PM | Men's Basketball
UConn Athletic Communications / Jan. 7, 2023
UCONN-CREIGHTON POSTGAME QUOTES
STORRS, CONN. – There's no place like home.
The UConn men's basketball team rode the energy of a loud sellout crowd at Gampel Pavilion and a brilliant individual performance by junior Adama Sanogo to a 69-60 victory over Creighton Saturday afternoon.
Sanogo, the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year, poured in 26 points and grabbed 9 rebounds as he led the No. 4/5 Huskies (15-2 overall. 4-2 BIG EAST) to their 17th consecutive win at Gampel Pavilion and their first-ever victory over Creighton.
"Thank you, Gampel!" UConn coach Dan Hurley explained afterward. "It was great being back in here. Coming off playing in two of the tougher environments in the league (Xavier, Providence), it was great to get back in here. I just thought our guys were able to get past two disappointing performances, turn off the negative noise and move forward to get an important win."
Creighton (9-7, 3-2) had fought back from a 37-29 halftime deficit to take a 43-42 lead with 13:47 remaining, but the UConn defensive pressure and Sanogo's giant presence inside took over. The Huskies exploded on a 14-2 run to take control, 56-45 with 8:23 left.
The Bluejays missed 15 straight shots and shot only 24.2 percent in the second half, 32.8 for the game. Creighton managed to come within 6, 59-53, with 4:09 left, but a Sanogo bucket and two free throws by Tristren Newton brough the margin back up to 10, 63-53.
From there, UConn hit six straight free throws to sew up the victory.
Besides Sanogo, sophomore Jordan Hawkins had 17 points , Newton added 13 and Andre Jackson chipped in with 7 points and 9 rebounds. For Creighton, sophomore Arthur Kaluma had 14 points and 16 rebounds.
"The last two games, I didn't play as good," Sanogo said. "So, I knew I had to be there for my team. I knew if we were going to win today, I needed to play hard. That's why coming into this game today, I was going to give everything I got, because I know for my team to win, I need to play good."
The Huskies go back of the road for their next BIG EAST game, traveling to Milwaukee to meet Marquette on Wednesday at Fiserv Forum (7 p.m., CBS SN).
