3 reasons Butler basketball lost to UConn: Dawgs continue to get beat up by ranked teams
INDIANAPOLIS – Tyrese Martin scored 25 of his career-high 27 points in the second half, and No. 25 Connecticut pulled away late to beat Butler 75-56 in Big East basketball Thursday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
The Bulldogs (9-9, 2-5) trailed by five points, 57-52, with less than four minutes left. It was the second win over Butler in three days for UConn (13-4, 4-2).
It was Butler’s sixth defeat, all to Top 25 opponents and all by 15 or more points, in eight games. Butler is 0-5 all-time against UConn, which beat the Bulldogs in the 2011 NCAA championship game 53-41.
Butler has trailed by 10 or more points in 31 of 43 games over two seasons.
Three reasons Butler lost:
Too big, yo
Connecticut’s frontcourt repeatedly exploited Butler in a 51-point second half, seizing six offensive rebounds and scoring eight second-chance points after halftime.
The Bulldogs were effective in stopping the first shot, as they were in the first half, but not the follow-ups. UConn shot 67% in the second half after a 29% first half.
When Butler is not committing turnovers or missing shots that lead to long rebounds, it can organize half-court defense and not allow transition points.
The Bulldogs are far from elite on defense, but they successfully managed the balance between clogging the paint and identifying perimeter shooters in the first half. UConn scored 24 points, two off its lowest-scoring half of the season (22 against Providence).
Besides Martin, Adama Sanogo had 15 points and nine rebounds and Isaiah Whaley 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Oh, those free throws
The final score doesn’t look like it, but Butler could have carried a lead into the closing minutes with better accuracy on free throws.
Butler finished 14-of-22 on free throws but missed out on three potential points late in the first half after getting into the one-and-one. Butler led 28-24 at halftime.
Chuck was chucking; anyone else?
When Chuck Harris makes shots, it makes all the difference.
He can’t do it alone. He scored 16 points, but no Butler teammate had more than 10.
Freshmen Jayden Taylor and Simas Lukosius, who combined for 36 points Tuesday at Hartford, scored a collective 11.
Harris averaged 12.9 ppg last season in becoming the first freshman in 41 years to lead Butler in scoring. But he has shot 32% on 3-pointers, down from 40% last year, and had scored more than 13 points in three games all season.
Harris scored 10 first-half points, including 2-of-4 on 3s. His second was highlight material: crossover dribble, followed by stepback and swish.
Contact IndyStar reporter David Woods at david.woods@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Butler Bulldogs basketball: UConn beats Dawgs for second time this week
