Polley sparks Huskies past Eagles
Senior scores 23 points in second half to lead spirited comeback
Down 18 points, its best player and Big East scoring leader on the bench in pain, UConn appeared lost in its first true road game of the season.
Tyler Polley and Isaiah Whaley changed that in a hurry.
Polley scored all 23 of his points in the latter half, Whaley notched a double-double and UConn rallied back for a stirring 65-54 win at Marquette on Tuesday night at Fiserv Forum.
The Huskies trailed 41-23 less than three minutes into the latter half. UConn called a timeout and James Bouknight, who entered the game averaging a Big Eastbest 23.3 points per game, went to the bench with elbow pain. Marquette guard Koby McEewen had landed on Bouknight’s left elbow while the two were diving for a loose ball with about three minutes left in the first half, and Bouknight left the game.
He started the latter half, but couldn’t prevent the Golden Eagles from jumping out to a 10-0 start. With Bouknight back on the bench, his left elbow wrapped, UConn began a comeback bid, led by Whaley’s energy and Polley’s sensational shooting.
Polley finished 8-for-12 from the floor and 5-for-8 on 3-pointers. Whaley finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
Bouknight scored a season-low six points on 3for-12 shooting. On this night, the Huskies survived just fine without their star player doing much.
Bouknight was just 3for-9 from the floor in the first half as Marquette, primarily McEwen, made him fight for everything shot. His only field goals came on a transition layup and a pair of tip-ins.
With 3:04 left in the half, Bouknight fell to the floor
for a loose ball and McEwen landed on his extended left arm. He didn’t return until after halftime.
The Golden Eagles owned a 31-23 lead at the break, keyed by a 13-0 run midway through the period in which five different players scored. The Huskies appeared disjointed offensively for much of the half, shooting just 10-for-30 (33.3 percent) and turning the ball over eight times. A 5-0 mini-run
RIM RATTLINGS
A few start times were announced on Tuesday for upcoming UConn games. The Huskies’ Jan. 18 bout with St. John’s at Gampel will start at 5 p.m. on FoxSports1. UConn’s home bout with Xavier on Jan. 20 is an 8:30 p.m. start on CBS Sports Network. Finally, the Huskies’ Jan. 23 game at Creighton will start at either 2:30 or 5 p.m. and will be televised on FOX. The exact starting time will be announced in a few days.