Perhaps Tyrese Martin read his Twitter mentions at halftime and got angry.
After a two-point first half, Martin powered a dominant second half with 25 points to lead the UConn men’s basketball team to a 75-56 Big East Conference win over Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Thursday night.
Martin’s career-high 27 points led the No. 25 Huskies (13-4, 4-2 Big East) to a sweep of what turned out to be a home-and-home series. UConn had defeated the Bulldogs, 76-59, Tuesday night at the XL Center and has now won three straight conference games.
With UConn trailing 28-24 at the break, Martin took over in the second half, making tough 3s, finishing fast-break opportunities, and playing with a burst of energy that the Huskies lacked in the first half.
Forward Adama Sanogo and Isaiah Whaley kept UConn afloat in the first half as the offense struggled. Sanogo finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Whaley had 11 points and 10 rebounds in a bounce-back game after going scoreless against Butler on Tuesday.
UConn and slow starts have become routine this season. At the 11:57 mark, a media timeout was taken and the Huskies had seven points. They went more than 4:30 between buckets before Polley knocked down a 3 to cut Butler’s lead to 13-10 and end the drought. UConn shot 10 for 35 (28.6%) from the field while committing seven turnovers as the offense struggled to find a rhythm against Butler’s slow pace. Sanogo and Whaley had combined for 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting as the rest of the Huskies had eight points on 3-for-24 shooting. Sanogo led the Huskies with nine points at the half.
The Huskies’ defense kept things close in the first half. UConn held Butler to 11-for-28 (39.9%) shooting from the field. The Huskies also forced seven turnovers.
The Huskies came out of the half with their intensity dialed up to a whole new level. UConn went on a 9-0 run over 2:35 to take a 33-30 lead. Martin played with an intense energy that seemed to infect the entire team. He drove hard to the rim, made tough 3s, and dove all over for loose balls.
R.J Cole missed a layup, and out of nowhere, Whaley came and slammed in the put-back dunk as UConn took its largest lead, up by seven at at the 9:01 mark.
