Rapid Recap: UConn falls at Finneran
UConn traveled to Villanova Wednesday night, losing in disappointing fashion, 68-66, despite having multiple chances to win late. After their first loss in Big East play, the Huskies are now 12-4 overall.
Jaylin Stewart got the start with Liam McNeeley out injured and the sophomore began the game on a tear. He was assertive and played within the flow of the offense as he scored 10 of the Huskies' first 14 points. But nobody else was active early for the Huskies, who went into the break facing a seven-point deficit after the first half ended on a 9-2 Nova run.
The Huskies turned it over nine times in the first half and didn’t get their act together until a few minutes into the second half. They finished with 13 giveaways on the night, compared to just six for the home team.
Solo Ball’s three-point shot activated and got UConn back into the game. Then Hassan Diarra and Alex Karaban started going after quiet first halves. It was a tightly contested game late, but the Huskies didn’t make enough plays late to get the win. Defensively, they weren’t stopping Villanova’s star Eric Dixon or Wooga Poplar, who combined to score 41 points and take all 13 of the Wildcats’ free throws on the night.
With 2:22 left, Villanova was up six before a Karaban three. Nova missed on the other end and a Jaylin Stewart lay-up made it a one-point game.
From there, after an Eric Dixon miss with 0:52 left, UConn had three possessions down a point with a chance to win the game. After two Karaban misses, their hopes ended when Karaban missed two at the free-throw line with two seconds left.
Up next, the Huskies head to Washington DC to take on the resurgent Georgetown Hoyas, who are ranked 60th in KenPom and won five in a row before losing at Marquette on Tuesday night. Ed Cooley’s Hoyas are 12-3 with victories over Syracuse, Creighton, and Xavier on the season.
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