Jordan Hawkins scored a game-high 20 points, Andre Jackson Jr. provided 15 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 20 UConn fought off Seton Hall 64-55 Saturday afternoon in Storrs, Conn.
The Huskies (20-7, 9-7 Big East) moved past Seton Hall for fifth place in the conference by forging an extended 14-0 run in the second half while holding the Pirates scoreless for a span of 6:50.
Seton Hall (16-12, 9-8) trailed just 42-40 with 12:28 to play when it went ice-cold, missing eight straight shots and losing five turnovers during its drought.
UConn used the opportunity to pull away, its run sparked by Jackson’s fast-break dunk. Jackson swatted Jamir Harris’ driving layup with 6:06 left, and just four seconds later, Hawkins buried a 3-pointer at the other end, completing the run.
Still, the Pirates clawed back late with defense and free throws. Tyrese Samuel and Femi Odukale made back-to-back layups to trim the deficit to 59-53.
UConn leading scorer and rebounder Adama Sanogo, who was a game-time decision with an illness, made a crucial block of a Seton Hall layup attempt with 40 seconds left to stem the tide.
Sanogo finished with eight points, six rebounds and two blocks. He helped the Huskies win the battle on the boards 39-25.
Al-Amir Dawes and Samuel led the Pirates with 16 points apiece. KC Ndefo scored all 13 of his points in the first half.
Seton Hall starting point guard Kadary Richmond, who averages 10.5 points and team highs of 4.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game, injured his back after making a steal seven minutes into the game. He subbed out and did not return.
UConn scored 20 of its 33 first-half points in the paint. Donovan Clingan contributed two dunks and a layup in a span of 3:05.
After Ndefo dunked with 10:02 left in the half to tie it at 16, the Huskies went on a 10-1 sprint fueled by Hawkins’ two 3-pointers. Hawkins then hammered home a baseline dunk to give UConn its first double-digit lead, 30-19, at 5:43.
Neither team could score for more than 3 1/2 minutes until Dawes’ coast-to-coast layup was goaltended by UConn with 48 seconds left in the half. Tray Jackson added a basket with 20 seconds left to cut the Pirates’ halftime deficit to 33-27.
The Huskies missed their final eight field-goal attempts of the half, and the shooting drought continued until Hawkins’ layup with 15:40 left to play. UConn went 8:58 of game time between made shots and shot 42.3 percent for the game.
–Field Level Media
