NEW YORK — UConn coach Dan Hurley challenged his team to play elite defense the rest of the season.
On Thursday, the UConn men’s basketball team responded with one of its best defensive performances yet.
The Huskies defeated Seton Hall 62-52 in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals at Madison Square Garden. Tyrese Martin and R.J. Cole each had 17 points. Andre Jackson finished with six points, six rebounds and four assists.
Martin played bully ball to perfection in a game where the offense was hard to come by. He used his upper body strength to back down players and make pivotal buckets.
Jackson made his presence felt everywhere in the first half. He controlled the offensive tempo, made pivotal shots and forced turnovers. He had four points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block in the opening 20 minutes.
UConn’s defense was a sight to behold in the first half. The Huskies got in the Seton Hall players’ air space, swarmed the ball and rotated well, leading to tough shots for the Pirates. The Huskies held Seton Hall to 7-for-28 (25%) shooting from the field. UConn held the Pirates to 18 points in the first half, the lowest-scoring half by any Big East opponent against them this season.
The third-seeded Huskies (23-8, 13-6 Big East) play No. 2 Villanova (24-7, 16-4) in the semifinals on Friday at 9 p.m.
Both teams struggled to score in the first half. Tyler Polley hit a tough 3 to put UConn up 11-7. On the next offensive possession, Cole made a 3. The Huskies went into the half with a 29-18 lead.
Seton Hall’s Myles Cale hit a 3 to cut the UConn lead 32-25 at the 14:56 mark in the second half. Every time it seemed like the Huskies were about to run away with the game, Cale answered with a timely bucket to keep the game in reach. With 10:30 left in the game, Seton Hall took a timeout as UConn led 45-31. The Pirates’ Alexis Yetna hit a 3 to cut the lead as the Huskies led 49-38 at the 8:09 mark.
