Jan. 30—The UConn men’s basketball team continued its domination of DePaul, but it wasn’t exactly easy.
No. 20 UConn beat DePaul 57-50 Saturday night at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, rallying from an early double-digit deficit to post its 13 straight victory in the series with the Blue Demons.
R.J. Cole scored 25 points, one short of his season-high, for the Huskies. He had 16 in the first half to keep UConn afloat.
UConn (15-4, 6-2 Big East) has won five straight games.
“Wish we would have played better but you’re never upset when you walk away with a road win in this league,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said.
Adama Sanogo added 10 points and eight rebounds for the Huskies, while Andre Jackson had seven points, 13 rebounds, and three assists.
Javan Johnson led DePaul with 18 points. Teammate Brandon Johnson chipped in 14.
UConn trailed for much of the first half, but took control just after the break.
UConn scored 13 of the first 16 points in the second half, with Sanogo finally getting loose in the paint and Cole continuing to have a hot hand. A Cole 3-pointer capped the run and made it 41-32 lead with 14 minutes to play in the game.
UConn had scored 50 points in two of its last three halves entering Saturday’s game but managed just 28 in the opening stanza against the Blue Demons. They went 1-for-8 from behind the 3-point arc, committed eight turnovers, and trailed by as many as 10 points.
But UConn finished the half on a high note as Andre Jackson hit Adama Sanogo with a baseball pass with 0.9 seconds to play in the half and Sanogo banked in a short jumper just before buzzer that cut the Huskies’ halftime deficit to just one, 29-28.
DePaul (10-10, 1-9) played without Javon Freeman-Liberty, the Big East’s leading scorer, because of the senior’s nagging groin injury.
UConn scored the first seven points in the game, five by Cole, and looked initially as if it might stroll to victory. But the positive start was quickly a memory.
The Huskies made their first three shots from the floor but then missed their next seven. DePaul took advantage, going on a 13-2 run to edge back in front.
DePaul, relying on offensive rebounds and other hustle plays, eventually pulled ahead 20-13 on a Nick Ongenda dunk, forcing Hurley to call time out. The Blue Demons then made it a 10-point edge soon after the stoppage as Brandon Johnson drilled a 3-pointer from the wing.
Arguably UConn’s best player, Sanogo, was one of the primary reasons for the team’s slow start. Sanogo missed all three of his shots and had two of the Huskies’ seven turnovers in the game’s first 15 minutes.
But Cole, who might also win the argument over UConn’s top dog, saved his side. The veteran point guard had 16 of UConn’s first 21 points, missing only once on his first seven shots from the floor.
“R.J. carried us on a night where we had a ton of guys struggling individually offensively,” Hurley said.
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.