CINCINNATI — The UConn men’s basketball, looking for a second straight win over a ranked conference opponent, ran into a desperate Xavier team and dropped a 74-68 Big East decision at the Cintas Center on Friday night.
With 30.6 seconds left in the game, UConn guard R.J. Cole drained both free throws to bring the No. 24 Huskies within three points. Xavier’s Paul Scruggs made only one free throw and with 23 seconds left Cole missed a jumper that clinched the game for the Musketeers.
UConn’s defense struggled mightily against the No. 25 Musketeers in the second half. The Huskies failed to challenge Xavier around the rim, surrendering 22 points in the paint. The usually physical and dominant UConn defense struggled to play without fouling in the first half, leading to easy looks for the Musketeers in the second half. They shot 14 for 23 (60.9%) from the field.
