No. 14 UConn men’s basketball triumphs at Villanova, 71-59

UConn men’s basketball visited Villanova at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia and came away with a 71-59 victory to finish the regular season with five straight wins and a 24-7 record (13-7 Big East).

Dan Hurley’s Huskies continue to fire on all cylinders, winning by an average of 13.4 points across this five-game run. Adama Sanogo got going early for UConn, which saw contributions from across the roster when star scorer Jordan Hawkins struggled to hit shots at first.

Villanova fought hard from the start in a classic Big East rockfight that was tied at seven, 14, and 19 at the first three TV timeouts. UConn started to separate at the end of the first half, mounting a 10-1 run and pushing the halftime lead to 32-24 after an Alex Karaban buzzer beater.

The Huskies opened the second half on a run when finally Hawkins got going and the lead grew to double digits. He finished with 24 points to lead UConn while Karaban had 16 to go along with six boards and four assists.

Andre Jackson was active early and also hit two three-pointers on the day, finishing with 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Sanogo finished with nine points — all of which came in the first half — and nine rebounds while Tristen Newton also scored nine.

Despite some flurries from ‘Nova, UConn successfully maintained a comfortable buffer across the second half, demonstrating why it’s one of the most dangerous teams in the Big East and the country. The win secured the Huskies first sweep of Villanova since re-joining the league, and for the first time in over ten years.

Next up, the Huskies are in Madison Square Garden for the Big East Tournament Quarterfinals. They’ll most likely face Providence in the 2:30 p.m. game on Thursday, March 9th.