Senior Tyrese Martin scored 25 of his career-high 27 points in the second half Thursday night, lifting No. 25 UConn to a come-from-behind, 75-56 win over Butler in Indianapolis.
Adama Sanogo added 15 points and nine rebounds for the Huskies (13-4, 4-2 Big East), who completed a home-and-home sweep of the Bulldogs. The Huskies prevailed 76-59 when the teams met in Hartford, Conn., on Tuesday.
Isaiah Whaley chipped in 11 points and 10 boards on Thursday as UConn posted a 39-25 advantage on the glass.
Chuck Harris scored 16 points to lead the Bulldogs (9-9, 2-5) and Aaron Thompson added 10, but they didn't have enough firepower to hold off the Huskies once Martin got going. Butler made only 38 percent of its field-goal attempts, including 4 of 19 (21.1 percent) from the 3-point arc.
Butler owned a four-point advantage at halftime and carried that lead into the early portion of the second half before Martin took over. He canned a 3-pointer to start an 11-0 run that gave UConn a 35-30 advantage.
The Bulldogs battled back to tie the game at 38 before consecutive driving layups by Martin gave the Huskies the lead for good. The margin was just five with 3:56 remaining before Martin drained a 3-pointer to start an 8-0 burst that put the game away.
As might be expected when teams play for the second time in three days, the first half was low-scoring, setting the tone for a grinding game. UConn led 7-5 at the first TV timeout, more than 5 1/2 minutes into the game.
After Sanogo's three-point play gave the Huskies a 17-15 edge at the 7:37 mark, Butler started its biggest run of the half. The Bulldogs ripped off eight straight points, forcing UConn coach Dan Hurley to burn a timeout when Harris drained a 3-pointer for a 22-17 advantage.
Thompson's turnaround jumper in the lane upped the Bulldogs' cushion to six in the final minute before the break, but Martin had the last say. The UConn forward canned a pullup jumper with six seconds remaining to cut Butler's lead to 28-24 at intermission.
--Field Level Media
Connecticut | Butler | |
Tyrese Martin 27 | Scoring | Chuck Harris 16 |
Andre Jackson 5 | Assists | Aaron Thompson 5 |
Isaiah Whaley 10 | Rebounds | Bryce Nze 7 |
Adama Sanogo 5 | Free Throws Made | Chuck Harris 6 |
Tyrese Martin 2 | Steals | Simas Lukosius 2 |
Adama Sanogo 3 | Blocks | Bo Hodges 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Connecticut | 75 | 45.2 | 7-20 | 12-12 | 13 | 37 | 5 | 4 | 13 |
Butler | 56 | 38.0 | 4-19 | 14-22 | 8 | 21 | 1 | 7 | 12 |