Bouknight’s splashy game not enough in 2OT loss
The UConn men had taken down a ranked team, Florida, five days earlier. Now, they had another such victory in their grasp.
The Huskies, fierce but flawed, couldn’t quite close the deal on a victory that could have vaulted them back into the rankings, but after the 75-74, double-overtime loss to No. 18 Xavier on Friday night, they are fighting their way back into the national conversation.
“It shows how good of a team we really are,” freshman James Bouknight said, before leaving the TD Arena well after 1 a.m. Saturday. “We put the country on notice. We had a chance to beat another top 20 team, it just shows we’re going to go far. We’re not going to fold to the end.”
Xavier coach Travis Steele called it “an absolute war for 50 minutes,” and with both sides bringing large, loud crowds to Charleston, it served as precursor to what future Big East games between these two schools will be like.
“We had a couple of times in critical spots where we didn’t keep our composure,” coach Dan Hurley said. “We’re not used to being in games like this, I guess, it’s just another step in our growth. … They made one more play than we did.”
The Huskies (3-2) won’t get the Charleston Classic trophy, but they have another chance for a valuable win before coming home, playing Miami (4-2) in the consolation game on Sunday at 1 p.m. Miami beat Missouri State, but lost by 20 to Florida on Friday. Bouknight, debuting in the Huskies win over Buffalo Thursday, after beginning his college career with legal troubles and a three-game suspension, has made a splash. He got 19 points in 25 minutes against Xavier, as he scored to tie the game and force a second overtime, and scored again to position UConn to win in the final minute of the second OT. He has also brought that swagger that Hurley has been waiting on. If Bouknight has jitters, he hasn’t let them show.
“Having guys that can create their own shot, make a big play,” Hurley said. “That guy’s got a chance to be a big-time star. He’s just figuring out what this whole thing is.”
Xavier led by 10 at the half, then UConn’s relentless defensive pressure began to take its toll. “They sped us up on the offensive end,” Steele said. UConn surged five points ahead, and when Tyler Polley made a tough 3-point shot with 1:32 to go, it seemed safe at 54-49. But Xavier got within three and Naji Marshall made an absurdly long 3-pointer to tie the game with 19.1 seconds left. UConn had a chance to win it, but Alterique Gilbert’s shot was rebuffed by Tyrique Jones, Xavier’s 6-foot-9 forward from Bloomfield, one of nine Xavier blocks.
“Listen, that was a hell of a block by Tyrique Jones,” Hurley said.
Xavier (6-0) is experienced and battle tested – none of the Musketeers more than Jones, who has played in six NCAA Tournament games and helped lead a lateseason run to the NIT last season. Xavier is 76-35 since Jones joined the program.
He missed much of the second half with leg cramping, and had to come out when he rolled his ankle landing after the game-saving block, but returned to end up with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
“What an incredible play,” Steele said. “Man, he was way up in the air. He came down, rolled his ankle. I I didn’t think he was going to play, I thought he was done. … Then all of a sudden, Tyrique starts hobbling toward me and says, ‘I can go.’ And I said, ‘That’s right, that’s what I like, that’s what seniors do.’ He plays to win. I’m so proud of that kid, I’d take him on my team I trust him, I’d go to war with him.”
Said Jones: “It was a world of pain. I was just trying to fight through it. I battled with it, went back in, came back out, went back in, I was just able to gut it out for the rest of the game. I’m just happy we got the win. I’ll deal with whatever pain I’m dealing with tomorrow.”
Gilbert, who rolled his ankle on Thursday, worked through the shoot-around and got out there against Xavier for 39 minutes, but his offensive struggles continued, as he went 2-for-13 from the floor. He did get to the line with his driving, going 9-for-9 to finish with 14 points. Gilbert, Polley, Christian Vital and Josh Carlton were a combined 11-for-46 in the game.
Akok Akok, another of UConn’s promising freshmen, is dealing with knee issues and his status for Sunday is questionable.
Bouknight led the Huskies back from a five-point deficit in the first overtime, tying the game with a three-point play. In the second OT, he drove successfully through the lane give the Huskies a 74-73 lead with 20.5 seconds left. At the other end, he tried to reach in tip the ball from Xavier’s Jason Carter, but was called for his fifth foul. Carter made both at the line and UConn ran out of responses.
“I thought he was going to get an easy layup,” Bouknight said. “And I tried to make a play. It’s something I have to learn from..”