UConn men notebook: Hawkins doesn't lose focus

Feb. 23—STORRS — When Jordan Hawkins came back out onto the court after rolling his ankle midway through the second half of the UConn men's basketball team's 87-69 win over No. 20 Providence Wednesday night, he received a tremendous ovation from the announced sellout crowd of 10,167 at Gampel Pavilion.

But that was the furthest thing from the sophomore guard's mind.

"I didn't even notice," Hawkins said. "I was locked in. My bad. But it was real nice. I love being here. I love playing for this team, I love playing for this state. So it means a lot, even though I didn't notice."

Hawkins' focus was evident all night. He finished with a game-high 20 points for the 18th-ranked Huskies (21-7, 10-7 Big East).

"He's grown up during the course of the year," UConn coach Dan Hurley said. "Just through some great successes and some not-so-good games, particularly on the road, it just toughens a man up. He just gained that invaluable experience. I think the team has done a better job of screening for him and kind of locating him in transition. He's gotten better at using screens, and the kid is mentally tough. He's not scared. He believes in himself."

Hawkins led UConn with nine points in the first half before scoring the first five Huskies points in the second.

He was shaken up with 8:28 to play after sending a floating pass to teammate Donovan Clingan that led to a foul being called.

"I stepped on somebody's foot, and then I was in pain," Hawkins said of the play.

Hawkins limped off the court to the bench — all the while a "Jordan Hawkins" chant was echoing inside Gampel Pavilion. He sat down before returning to the locker room.

Hawkins returned to the arena with 7:53 left on the clock and entered the game 33 seconds later. He played for the next 5:36 before exiting the game for good with the Huskies up 19.

"Absolutely," Hawkins said when asked if his ankle bothered him the remainder of the game. "But that's something you have to do when you're an athlete. You've got to play through things."

Hawkins finished 7-for-14 from the floor and faced stiff defense from Providence's Devin Carter all night.

"He's a brutal guy to play against," Hurley said of Carter. "We just told Jordan in the huddles that eventually, he's going to make some mistakes or he's just going to wear down a little bit. He's not going to be able to chase you at this rate for the 34 court minutes. Then also, set some screens to get one of their lesser defenders on you. Try to get him off of you by creating switches. He was able to take advantage and get some points off some other guys."

Hawkins is now averaging 16.5 points and 4.1 rebounds in 29.6 minutes per game. He's shooing 41.9 percent from the floor and 39.0 percent from three-point range.

"Just working on my game, that's all you can do," Hawkins said. "Finding shots, finding my shots that work for me. Playing inside and out, getting to the free throw line."

Senior Night

Prior to Wednesday's game, graduate student Joey Calcaterra, seniors Nahiem Alleyne and Tristen Newton, and redshirt junior Richie Springs were all recognized during Senior Night ceremonies.

Newton and Alleyne, who are in their first season with the team, as well as Springs all have eligibility remaining but will earn their degrees at the end of the school year.

"It felt great all the love that I've been shown even though I've had an up and down year," Newton said. "The crowd and the fans are staying with me through all the ups and downs. So it's been a different type of game and everything and I'm playing a different role, but I came here to win and we're winning. Not as much as we'd like to, but we're going to go on a run and make a deep push in March. So yeah, I love it here."

Newton was the only one of the four that started the game. He finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals in 33:05.

Alleyne added nine points on 3-for-4 shooting, two rebounds and a steal in 17:26 while Calcaterra had three points and a rebound in 5:31. Springs played the final 1:08 but didn't get a shot off.

Worth Quoting

"The fans were unbelievable. They really lifted us up when Providence came storming back in the second half. They really gave us momentum to go on that run. Two-dollar beer night was a good one I guess." — redshirt freshman forward Alex Karaban.

For coverage of UConn football and men's basketball as well as area high school and local youth sports, follow Adam Betz on Twitter: @AdBetz1, Facebook: Adam Betz — Sports Writer, and Instagram: @AdBetzJI.