DOUBLE TROUBLE
Huskies run past Bulldogs behind double-doubles from Sanogo, Jackson
HARTFORD — Andre Jackson doesn’t so much shoot the ball when he spots up from 3point land. It’s more like a hoist.
Jackson collects the ball, somewhat slowly lines the ball up through the middle of his body and hoists up a shot seemingly from right in front of his nose.
It’s unusual, unorthodox, and not overly attractive.
It’s also been remarkably effective this season.
Jackson, the 6-foot-6 wing known more for his passing ability and supreme athleticism, notched his first career doubledouble with 12 points and 10 rebounds on Tuesday to help lead No. 25 UConn to a 76-59 win in the opener of a “doubleheader” with Butler at XL Center.
The teams will meet again on Thursday at famous Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis to complete a rare, home-and-home “series.”
Adama Sanogo (13 points, 15 rebounds) recorded his third straight double-double and fourth of the season, R.J. Cole scored a team-high 17 points (geared by 8-for-9 foul shooting, all within the game’s first seven-plus minutes), freshman Jordan Hawkins broke out of a slump and scored 14 points, and Tyler Polley knocked down a pair of treys and scored 10.
Sanogo added four blocks as the Huskies swatted away 10 Bulldog shots.
The Huskies improved to 12-4 overall, 3-2 in the Big East. Butler fell to 9-8, 2-4.
Jackson shot a mere 11.8 percent (2-for-17) from 3 as a freshman last season. After going 3-for-4 from distance (all in the first half) on Tuesday, the sophomore is now shooting a team-best 52-percent (13for-24) from 3.
Improved shooting was a goal of Jackson’s over the summer, though coach Dan Hurley consistently stressed that Jackson did enough other things (passing, defense, athleticism, ballhandling) that he wasn’t overly concerned with his shooting.
On Tuesday, even Jackson’s misses were exciting. About midway through the second half, he nearly threw down the dunk of the year on a one-handed putback attempt of a Hawkins missed 3-pointer. The ball kerranged off the back of the rim, though Cole was there for the putback.
A trio of Jackson 3pointers, including a backto-back pair inside the final five minutes, helped spring UConn to a 39-24 halftime lead. Sanogo scored UConn’s first eight points of the latter half, though Butler was able to get within 10 inside the first five minutes.
The Huskies gradually pulled away, spearheaded
by a 12-4 run capped by a Hawkins dunk with 7:22 left. The only drama left after that was whether little-used bench players Samson Johnson, Rahsool Diggins and Richie Springs would get into the game.
With a little over three minutes left, they did.
RIM RATTLINGS
Late in the first half, one of the clock operators nearly fainted after suffering a dizzy spell, apparently due to low blood-sugar. He was given some Gatorade and other sugared drinks, however, and was able to continue.
Typically, UConn practices at the Werth Family
Champions Center in the afternoon before flying out to its destination in the early evening. However, the Huskies are expected to fly out to Indianapolis in the early afternoon on Wednesday and practice at Hinkle Fieldhouse.