STORRS, Conn. — After two straight quiet games, UConn coach Dan Hurley finally challenged Adama Sanogo, pushing his star to stay out of foul trouble and make his presence felt on the floor. On Wednesday the Huskies’ best player answered the call.
UConn, led by Sanogo’s 20 points, defeated Seton Hall 70-65 at Gampel Pavilion. Guard R.J. Cole and Tyrese Martin each added 16 points.
Sanogo took smart shots in the post and on the defensive end he corralled rebounds while deterring Seton Hall players around the rim. He finished with 16 rebounds and three blocks.
UConn (18-7, 9-5 Big East) now moves to third place in the conference behind Providence and Villanova.
The No. 24 Huskies started the game on a 9-3 run, which prompted a Pirates timeout at 13:25. At 9:02 mark, Tyler Polley missed a jumper, and in came Andre Jackson to secure the second-chance opportunity with a layup to put UConn up 16-11. The Huskies held the Pirates to 11-for-29 (37.9%) shooting from the field. UConn went into the half with a 28-27 lead.
The Huskies started the second half on an 11-6 run to put them up 39-33 at 15:47 when a media timeout was taken. Seton Hall’s Jamir Harris hit a 3 to cut UConn’s lead to 43-40. The Pirates wouldn’t get closer than that in the second half.
