3 reasons Butler basketball lost at No. 25 UConn: Anemic offense undermines defense
No. 25 Connecticut blocked 10 Butler shots and held the Bulldogs to 30.5% shooting, building a 15-point halftime lead en route to a 76-59 victory Tuesday night in Big East basketball at the XL Center in Hartford.
Two freshmen were the Bulldogs’ top scorers: Jayden Taylor with 19 points, two off his career high, and Simas Lukosius with a career-high 17.
Taylor banged knees with another player late in the game and went to the floor, but he was able to walk to the bench without assistance.
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Two UConn players had double-doubles: Adama Sanogo 13 points and 15 rebounds, Andre Jackson 12 points and 10 rebounds. R.J. Cole added 17 points, freshman Jordan Hawkins 14 and Tyler Polley 10.
It was the Bulldogs’ third road game in six days.
Butler (9-8, 2-4) was more competitive than in Sunday’s 82-42 loss at then-No. 14 Villanova. However, the Bulldogs were no match for UConn in the first of back-to-back meetings.
UConn (12-4, 3-2) plays Butler on Thursday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Butler is 0-7 against the NET Top 30 and has lost by 15 points or more in all seven: Michigan State by 21, Houston by 18, Purdue by 29, Seton Hall and Xavier by 15 each, Villanova by 40, UConn by 17.
Three reasons Butler lost:
Anemic offense undermines defense
If this sounds like an old refrain, it is:
The Bulldogs’ inability to make shots continues to undermine any progress on defense. Even as the Huskies opened by shooting 1-of-10, they led Butler. The Bulldogs had three turnovers before their second made field goal.
In the first half, Lukosius and Bryce Nze were a combined 7-of-10. Rest of the Bulldogs: 1-of-20.
For the game, Butler was 7-of-20 on layups.
Point guard Aaron Thompson was limited to five first-half minutes after committing his second foul. Butler was minus-four while he was on the floor, the best of the nine Bulldogs playing 10 or more minutes.
Huskies overwhelm Bulldogs
The Huskies showed why they are considered most likely to challenge Villanova in the Big East. They feature size, speed, athleticism and 3-point shooting.
In the first half, Connecticut had nearly as many 3s (six) and blocked shots (five) as Butler had field goals (eight).
Before 12 minutes elapsed, UConn had a double-digit lead. Over two seasons, Butler has trailed by 10 or more points in 30 of 42 games.
Missing in action
Up-and-down nature of Butler’s top scorers has persisted. Chuck Harris, Bryce Golden and Jair Bolden shot a collective 0-of-14.
Harris, coming off 15 points at Villanova, and Bolden, who scored 23 Thursday at Georgetown, were both scoreless.
Golden, who had averaged 14.8 ppg over eight games, had zero points at Villanova and two at UConn.
Contact IndyStar reporter David Woods at david.woods@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.
UConn 76, Butler 59
BUTLER (9-7): Golden 0-7 2-2 2, Nze 3-10 2-7 8, Bolden 0-4 0-0 0, Taylor 5-12 6-10 19, Thompson 2-5 4-4 8, Lukosius 7-13 1-2 17, Harris 0-4 0-0 0, Hodges 0-2 0-0 0, Groce 0-0 0-0 0, Mulloy 0-1 1-2 1, Wilmoth 0-0 0-0 0, Tate 1-1 2-2 4, Parker 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-59 18-29 59.
UCONN (11-4): Sanogo 6-14 1-5 13, Whaley 0-3 0-0 0, Cole 4-7 8-9 17, Jackson 4-9 1-1 12, Martin 1-7 1-2 3, Polley 4-7 0-0 10, Akok 1-4 1-2 3, Hawkins 5-9 3-4 14, Gaffney 0-1 0-0 0, Diggins 0-1 0-0 0, Johnson 1-1 0-0 2, Springs 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 27-64 15-23 76.
Halftime—UConn 39-24. 3-Point Goals_Butler 5-16 (Taylor 3-6, Lukosius 2-5, Bolden 0-1, Golden 0-1, Harris 0-1, Nze 0-1, Thompson 0-1), UConn 7-21 (Jackson 3-4, Polley 2-4, Cole 1-2, Hawkins 1-4, Gaffney 0-1, Martin 0-1, Akok 0-2, Whaley 0-3). Rebounds_Butler 33 (Nze 7), UConn 46 (Sanogo 15). Assists_Butler 5 (Golden 2), UConn 12 (Cole, Jackson, Martin 3). Total Fouls_Butler 17, UConn 24.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Butler Bulldogs basketball loses to No. 25 UConn Huskies in Big East
