The UConn men’s basketball showed up in the moments that mattered on Saturday night.
The Huskies defeated DePaul, 57-50, at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Guard R.J. Cole led the way with 25 points and forward Adama Sanogo added 10. Cole shot 9 for 17 from the field including sinking game-icing free throws.
As UConn struggled to score in the first half, it was Cole who appeared to have all the answers. He showed off his entire arsenal of moves from floaters, tough layups, and even beyond the arc. Cole had 16 of the Huskies’ 28 points and went 6 for 9 from the field in the first half.
In the second half, Sanogo came alive on the offensive end after having only two points on 1-for-5 shooting from the field in the first half. The forward’s energy was a night-and-day difference in the second half, as he made tough shots inside, finished fast break buckets. He had eight points and shot 4 for 7 from the field.
Andre Jackson’s rebounding prowess was also pivotal. The guard had 13 rebounds including four offensive.
No. 20 UConn (15-4, 6-2 Big East) has now won five straight conference games and is in third place in the conference behind Providence and Villanova.
Blue Demon guard Javan Johnson had 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field.
The Huskies started the game on a 7-0 run that quickly forced the Blue Demons to call timeout at the 17:40 mark. DePaul scored its first basket on a second-chance opportunity with a layup by Yor Anei at the 16:46 mark. Over the next several minutes, the Blue Demons started to hit their shots while the Huskies’ offense went cold. UConn had 13 points on 5-for-14 (35.7%) shooting from the field at the 8:13 mark and trailed 20-13 when Hurley called timeout. Slowly, the Huskies started to regain their composure.
While UConn’s offense struggled at times, the defense kept things within striking distance. The Huskies held the Blue Demons scoreless over the last 2:59 of the first half as UConn went on a 7-1 run. With the 0.9 seconds left in the half, Jackson heaved a full-court inbound pass to Sanogo, who calmly collected the ball and scored a push shot before the buzzer to cut the DePaul lead to 29-28 at the half.
