Back in the hunt
Martin, Sanogo lead UConn over Marquette to snap skid
HARTFORD — Tyrese Martin took accountability for the UConn men’s basketball team’s two-game losing streak, saying he needed to provide the team with more energy and enthusiasm.
Martin provided that — and a whole lot more — on Tuesday night.
The senior wing notched a double-double, playing through pain after seemingly re-injuring his balky left wrist midway through the first half, to help the 24th ranked Huskies to an 80-72 win over No. 18 Marquette at XL Center.
Martin finished with 18 points and a season-high 15 rebounds, and Adama Sanogo also notched a double-double with 24 and 15 for UConn (16-6, 7-4).
Sporting throwback uniforms that mixed styles from some of UConn men’s basketball’s great teams of the 1990s, the Huskies came out of the gates with an overall firsthalf performance that would have made Ray Allen, Rip Hamilton and the like proud.
UConn led by as many as 14 in the first half and by 10 at halftime. Marquette chipped away early in the second half, and after a five-point swing — a Sanogo missed dunk, followed by a Justin Lewis transition 3-pointer — followed by a pair of Oso Ighodaro free throws, the Golden Eagles got to within a point (53-52).
The Huskies pumped their lead back up to 11, but Marquette (16-8, 8-5) wasn’t done. An 8-0 run, capped by a Darryl Morsell 3-pointer, brought the Golden Eagles back to within three (63-60).
But UConn countered with a 9-1 run, then sealed the deal on a wild sequence inside the final two minutes.
Martin scored on a putback of his own miss to put the Huskies up 75-67, and Andre Jackson came up with a steal a few seconds later. R.J. Cole missed a
layup, but Jackson nabbed the offensive rebound for a new shot clock. Martin misfired on a 3, but Sanogo tipped it out to a teammate for another new clock.
UConn didn’t ultimately score, but its tenacious defense and offensive rebounding burned nearly a minute off the clock.
The Huskies shot a blistering 58.8 percent in the first half, including 5 of 8 from 3. They ran, outscoring the Golden Eagles 15-1 in transition, rebounded (22-11 edge) and looked more like the team that had won eight of nine, as Marquette had, than the team looking to avoid its first threegame losing streak in more than two years.
Sanogo had 14 points and six rebounds in the first half, even after missing a few inside bunnies early on. Martin had nine points and 10 boards at the break and Hawkins scored eight.
RIM RATTLINGS
⯮ Andrea Saunders, a Waterbury police detective, sang the national anthem, but forgot the words during one part and started over. When she forgot the words to the same part a second time, the crowd sang along with her the rest of the way, then gave her a rousing ovation when it was over.
⯮ UConn still hasn’t lost three straight games since dropping four straight from Jan. 12-26, 2020 (Wichita State, Villanova, Houston and Tulsa).
⯮ Former longtime UConn assistant and Central Connecticut State head coach Howie Dickenman was at the game, sitting behind the Huskies’ bench.