HARTFORD, Conn. – R.J. Cole hit a driving floater with 5.9 seconds left and then took a charge at the other end of the court to rally No. 21 UConn to a 71-69 win over No. 8 Villanova on Tuesday night.
Adama Sanogo scored 20 points and Tyler Polley drained a clutch 3-pointer for the Huskies (20-7, 11-5 Big East), who beat the Wildcats for the first time since 2014 to secure their first 20-win season in six years.
Isaiah Whaley added 13 points and Cole had 12 for the Huskies, who played most of the game without coach Dan Hurley, who was ejected in the first half.
Collin Gillespie had 17 points and Brandon Slater added 15 for Villanova (21-7, 14-4), which had won five in a row and eight of nine.
Villanova had a four-point lead and the ball with 35 seconds remaining. But then Caleb Daniels missed the front end of a 1-and-1 for the Wildcats, the best free-throw shooting team in the country, and Villanova was outscored 6-0 the rest of the way.
UConn led by one at halftime and seven early in the second half, but could not shake the Wildcats.
A 3-pointer from Gillespie gave Villanova its first lead of the final 20 minutes at 56-54, and the teams went back and forth over the final eight minutes.
The Wildcats led by four before Polley’s third 3-pointer of the half with 21 seconds left brought the Huskies to 69-68. Cole then tied up Gillespie in the backcourt to force a turnover, setting up the winning play.
Hurley was tossed from the game after receiving back-to-back technical fouls with just under five minutes to go in the first half.
He picked up his first for slamming his fist on the scorers’ table protesting the lack of a call on what he thought was a Villanova foul. He was tossed from the game seconds later by referee James Breeding after turning to the crowd and waving his arms in the air, imploring fans to get loud.
BIG PICTURE
Villanova: The Wildcats trail only Providence (12-2) in the conference standings with two games left for the Wildcats to play, including a home game against the Friars next week. The top five finishers in the regular season earn a first-round bye in the Big East Tournament.
UConn: The Huskies’ last win over the Wildcats came in the third round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament on the way to the program’s fourth national title. Their last regular-season win in the series came in 2012. UConn came into the game having lost five straight to the Wildcats, including 85-74 on Feb. 5 in Philadelphia.
UP NEXT
Villanova: The Wildcats have a week off before hosting Providence on March 1 at Finneran Pavilion.
UConn: The Huskies play at Georgetown on Sunday.
