STORRS, Conn. — It took more than one half of superb basketball to take down the team that won the men’s national championship back-to-back.
Providence was great for 20 minutes Sunday afternoon at Gampel Pavilion. The Brothers simply could not put the finishing touches on the current power in the Big East and beyond..
The Huskies hit a different level in terms of offensive execution right out of the break, and Providence couldn’t keep up. No. 11 UConn rallied to build a double-digit lead and held on for an 87-84 victory in front of a sold-out crowd, a comeback that spoiled what would have been an early taste of success here for the Brothers in more than two decades. .
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Aidan Mahaney’s 3-pointer from the left wing with 1:58 left was indeed the dagger. The Huskies built their largest lead at 77-65 and made enough free throws down the stretch to keep the Friars in the rearview mirror and win their eighth straight. Providence fell below .500 overall at the end of a season for the first time since 2020-21 and lost as many as three of its first four league games for the first time since 2018-19.
“We disrupted them in the first half,” Providence coach Kim English said. “They made big adjustments. For the third time this season we lost a pretty good lead.
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The Friars finally lost their lead for good during a field goal drought that lasted 7:09. Providence was shut out between Jayden Pierre’s open 3-pointer on the right wing and a spin to the glass by Wesley Cardet Jr. with 5:09 left. It was a 58-48 advantage when Pierre reeled off a game-high 24 points and a 68-64 holeshot after Cardet hit a difficult jumper through contact.
“We cheated death in this one today,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “We’re going to have to win games that way.”
Rich Barron gave the Friars a pair of 14-point leads early in the second half with a layup and two free throws. Providence owned a 43-29 advantage with 18:04 remaining before UConn gradually came within striking distance. Mahaney hit an acrobatic left-handed layup as part of a 10-2 run and Tarris Reed Jr. scored in the lane with 7:24 left to push the Huskies to a 62-60 advantage .
“They really heated up,” English said. “They heated us up defensively in the second half. Their attack was really good in the second half.
UConn (12-3, 4-0 Big East) shot 72.7% from the floor, owned a 12-2 advantage on eight Friars turnovers and closed 25-for-29 from the foul line in the second period. Reed and Mahaney were plus-28 in 23 minutes, finishing 6 of 8 from the field and 9 of 10 from the field. The Huskies averaged 1.82 points on 33 possessions after managing just 0.96 in the first 20 minutes.
“We actually had a chance to come away with a double-digit win,” Hurley said. “Credit to Providence for showing character and culture and the fact that Kim is one of the best young coaches in the country.”
The Friars (7-8, 1-3) haven’t looked better over a long period of time this season than they did in the first game. Providence dominated the final 9:23 to build a 39-27 advantage at the break. UConn managed just one field goal during that stretch as the visitors closed in on an 8-for-12 game.
“It was a very different effort than the other night against Marquette,” English said. “Proud of our guys for that.”
The Friars committed just two turnovers before the break after suffering a game-high 22 in a New Year’s Eve loss to Marquette. They shot 56.7% from the floor and enjoyed an impressive 28-16 advantage in the paint. Ryan Mela’s pair of attacks on Alex Karaban in the final two minutes added the exclamation points.
“Marquette, we just didn’t do anything we prepared for,” English said. “UConn is more like us defensively: getting to shooters, denying assists.”
Providence again played with three players in tracksuits: Bryce Hopkins (left knee), Christ Essandoko (hamstring) and Eli DeLaurier (hamstring). Cardet returned to the starting lineup for Bensley Joseph while Oswin Erhunmwunse totaled 6 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocked shots in a career-high 32 minutes. The Friars should be favored in each of their next two games, a home game that begins Wednesday with a visit from Butler.
“I felt like we were more together, more connected,” English said. “And we played that way. This is a step in the right direction.
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On X: @BillKoch25
This article was originally published in the Providence Journal: Connecticut Huskies beat Providence Friars basketball, 87-84, Sunday
