Jordan Hawkins tallied 20 points to lead four scorers in double figures as No. 15 UConn dealt Butler an 86-56 shellacking in Hartford, Conn., on Sunday afternoon to snap a three-game losing skid.
Hawkins made 7 of 14 shots from the floor and added six rebounds to pace the Huskies (16-5, 5-5 Big East), who were coming off losses to Seton Hall, St. John’s and Marquette.
Adama Sanogo added 17 points and 14 rebounds, Alex Karaban had 15 points and Tristen Newton had 11 for UConn, which went 31 of 64 (48.4 percent) from the field and 7 of 19 (36.8 percent) from 3-point range.
Chuck Harris notched 16 points for the Bulldogs (11-10, 3-7), who have dropped four of their past five. Simas Lukosius supplied 12 points and six rebounds, while Jayden Taylor had 11 and five, respectively.
Butler had its fourth-worst shooting performance of the season, making just 17 of 52 (32.7 percent) shots from the field.
Hawkins, Sanogo and Newton combined to score 15 of the first 17 points of the second half, essentially sealing the win for the Huskies. That outburst ballooned UConn’s advantage to 35, and the Bulldogs never got within 30 the rest of the way.
At its peak, the Huskies’ lead reached 37 after Sanogo’s layup with 5:10 left to play.
Butler made just two field goals over the final 9:09 of the first half and shot a putrid 6 of 25 (24 percent) from the field over the first 20 minutes of action to go into the break trailing 45-23.
Hawkins led UConn with 11 points before intermission, while Sanogo and Karaban chipped in nine apiece. Harris had 14 points for the Bulldogs.
Lukosius made a pair of free throws and Harris drained a 3-pointer to provide Butler’s only points throughout the first seven minutes of action, allowing the Huskies to claim an early six-point lead.
Connor Turnbull then sank a 3-pointer to pull the Bulldogs within three, but UConn pulled away and established a 19-point lead thanks to an extended 21-5 run. Hawkins had seven points during the surge, while Sanogo and Donovan Clingan each added four.
–Field Level Media