No. 25 UConn completes sweep of Butler with 75-56 win
Jan. 21—Tyrese Martin had a very good halftime, apparently.
Martin scored 25 of his career-high 27 points in the second half as No. 25 UConn blitzed Butler in the second half to come away with a 75-56 win Thursday night in Indianapolis at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Combined with a 76-59 win over the Bulldogs Tuesday in Hartford, UConn earned a sweep in the hastily arranged home-and-home series between the teams.
In addition to Martin's big game, UConn (13-4, 4-2 Big East) received 15 points, nine rebounds, and three blocked shots from Adama Sanogo. Isaiah Whaley added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Huskies.
Butler's Chuck Harris, who was scoreless in the first meeting, had a team-high 16 points for the Bulldogs (9-9, 2-5) Thursday.
UConn trailed by four at halftime but outscored Butler 51-28 in the second half. The Huskies made two-thirds of their shots from the floor in the latter stanza.
"It was ugly in there," UConn coach Dan Hurley said of the Huskies' locker room at halftime.
UConn trailed by four points at the half as three of its starters — R.J. Cole, Martin, and Andre Jackson — went a combined 2-for-15 from the floor.
But Cole and Martin ignited an 11-0 run by the Huskies just after the second half began that buoyed them into the lead. Two jumpers by Cole, a 3-pointer by Martin, and a putback in traffic by Martin helped UConn take a 35-30 lead with 15:50 to play in the game.
Butler made a few runs at the Huskies, but each time Martin seemed to have an answer. His 3-pointer with 3:56 made it 60-52 with just under four minutes to go.
Sanogo, the reigning Big East player of the week, has 72 points, 58 rebounds, and 16 blocks over his last three games.
UConn is now 9-0 with its "usual" starters: Cole, Martin, Jackson, Whaley, and Sanogo.
Much as they did two days earlier, both teams struggled to score at the game's outset. They combined to miss 18 of their first 25 shots.
UConn made only three of its first 14 shots in the game, but Sanogo finally got the Huskies in gear a bit. The sophomore center scored all seven points in a 7-2 UConn run that put the Huskies ahead 17-15.
The visitors scored eight straights after that, however, to surge ahead slightly.
A jumper by Martin in the final seconds of the half gave UConn some life, but it still trailed 28-24 at the break.
UConn is 5-0 against Butler in its history, including the 2011 national championship game.
Neill covers UConn men's basketball and UConn football teams, and he keeps a finger on the pulse of Connecticut sports. For live game updates, and more insight into UConn athletics, player transfers, and team changes, follow Neill on Twitter: @NeillOstrout, Facebook: JINeillO, and Instagram: @NeillOstrout.
