NEWARK, N.J. — Sometimes all it takes is the ball going through the net to get your swagger back.
In the Never Forget Tribute Classic, the shorthanded UConn men’s basketball team won a tough game, 74-64 against St. Bonaventure at the Prudential Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Huskies were led by efficient redshirt junior Akok Akok who went 5-for-6 from the field for 12 points. Freshman guard Jordan Hawkins (11 points) broke out of his cold-shooting streak and was clutch in knocking down pivotal shots that helped defeat the Bonnies.
Dominick Welch led the St. Bonaventure with 15 points.
The Huskies came into the game missing their second and third options on offense in sophomore forward Adama Sanogo and senior guard Tyrese Martin. Martin (wrist) and Sanogo (abdominal strain) look to be back soon. Martin was a game-time decision according to Hurley, but ultimately didn’t play.
UConn has played three games without them and a theme has emerged. The Huskies play hard-nosed basketball, but it isn’t aesthetically pleasing basketball, especially on the offensive end. Their defense has been keeping them in games as the offense goes through it’s lulls and swings. UConn doesn’t have a consistent scoring option after R.J. Cole and teams seem to know that. Cole has zero space to operate and it has led to abysmal shooting percentages of (28.6%) against Grambling State, (35.2%) against West Virginia, and (33.3%) against St. Bonaventure. On Saturday, teammates Akok and Hawkins finally gave him some help.
UConn started slow yet again, scoring just 11 points in the first 10:01. In that span, Cole and Andre Jackson were the only starters to make a field goal. At the 5:10 mark, Akok canned the third made three for UConn on the day which tied the amount the Huskies hit against West Virginia on Wednesday. Akok led UConn in scoring with eight points on 3-for-4 shooting.
On the defensive end, the Huskies forced the Bonnies to commit eight turnovers that led to 12 points. St Bonaventure came into the game averaging just 9.9 turnovers a game, which was No. 14 in Division I. But UConn’s defense was stifling as the Bonnies shot just 10-for-32 (31.3%) in the first half. The Huskies went into the half with a 29-28 lead.
The second half was a back-and-forth affair with neither team able to gain control. At 17:15, St Bonaventure’s Jaren Holmes hit a three-pointer to give the Bonnies a 35-33 lead, their first in the game since the 10:01 mark in the first when they lead 13-11.
Then came Hawkins. He had been held scoreless against the Mountaineers and was 0-for-6 until the 11:22 mark in the second of this game. After he made a mid-range jumper to put UConn up 46-39 and give him his first field goal in the game, a sense of calmness seemed to come over him. Hawkins followed up that with a 3-pointer and then a couple possessions later, he hit another three. In the span of 2:18, UConn went on a 8-2 run.
When the Bonnies seemed ready to make a run and UConn just up five points, it was old reliable Cole who answered the call. At the 3:25 mark, Cole hit a floater that put them up 63-55 after hitting the foul shot. Then with 45 seconds to go Tyler Polley hit a huge three that put the Huskies up 70-61 and put the game out of reach.
UConn has a break in play until Saturday when it plays its first Big East foe in Providence at the XL Center.
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