STORRS—Playing without star guard James Bouknight, who underewent elbow surgery last week, the UConn Huskies dropped a tight game to St. John's, falling 74-70 Monday afternoon at Gampel Pavilion in Big East men's hoops action on Martin Luther King Day.
Junior R.J. Cole led the Huskies with 18 points, while two others finished in double figures. Classmate Tyrese Martin chipped in 14 points and six rebounds and freshman Adama Sanogo added a dozen points as well.
UConn led by as many as 14 in the opening frame, jumping out to a 21-7 lead following a flurry of triples and some tough defense. Cole knocked in four triples for a dozen first half points, as six different players scored in the half. Although St. John's chipped away at the deficit over the remainder of the half, the Huskies held a 35-32 lead at the break.
Isaiah Whaley, Adama Sanogo and Cole scored in the paint on three-straight possessions to give the Huskies their largest lead of the half, 49-41, and forced the Johnnies to take a timeout. The visitors responded and battled all the way back to take the lead, 64-63, late in the half.
UConn and St. John's traded blows down the stretch, with the visitors holding a slim advantage. Tyrese Martin's triple with 55 seconds left pulled the Huskies within a point, but St. John's closed the game at the charity stripe and held on for the win.
The loss dropped the Huskies to 7-2 overall, while the Red Storm improved to 8-7.
The Huskies, ranked No. 23 in today's AP poll, now have two days to regroup before they entertain Xavier (10-2 overall, 3-2 Big East0 on Wednesday at Gampel. Tip-off is slated for 8:30 p.m. (ET), and the game will be televised live on CBSSN. The Huskies will again be without Bouknight. The 6-5 sophomore from Brooklyn is expected to be rehabbing for a few more weeks.
—With Staff Reports
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