No. 13 Connecticut 71, Seton Hall 63: Huskies Send Pirates To Fourth Straight Loss

Read more at our Pirate blog, Gonzo Ball.

January 6, 2010 – Storrs, CT (Sports Network) – Jerome Dyson was one rebound shy of a triple- double, finishing with 16 points, 10 assists and nine boards to help No. 13 Connecticut pull out a 71-63 victory over Seton Hall.

Gavin Edwards and Kemba Walker each scored 15 for the Huskies (11-3, 2-1 Big East), who have won two in a row since dropping their Big East opener December 30 at Cincinnati.

Alex Oriakhi added 12 points and seven rebounds in the victory.

Jeff Robinson had a game-high 17 points to go with nine rebounds, while Jeremy Hazell added 13 points, but Seton Hall (9-5, 0-3) was dealt its fourth consecutive tough loss. Two of those losses were in overtime, while another was a seven-point setback against Syracuse.

Wednesday’s was no different, as Seton Hall held a 57-54 lead with 6:27 to play following John Garcia’s layup. But Dyson and the Huskies took over, scoring the next nine points mostly on fastbreak opportunities.

Dyson evened the game with a three-pointer, and after a Pirates miss, Dyson deposited a fastbreak layup. Another Seton Hall miss resulted in a dunk from Edwards in transition, and Hazell’s missed three gave UConn yet another chance to race upcourt. Dyson dished a no-look pass to Edwards for a layup that made it a 63-57 edge with 4:44 to play.

Seton Hall, though, battled back and scored the next four points, getting within 63-61 on Herb Pope’s short jumper with just over three minutes left.

But the Huskies pulled away for good as the Pirates missed numerous scoring opportunities. On its next possession, Seton Hall got a number of offensive rebounds, and in a scramble for the ball, Dyson came up with the steal for a fastbreak layup.

Dyson then set up the back-breaking blow after Seton Hall again missed a series of putbacks. The guard lofted a high alley-oop pass on the right side of the net for Stanley Robinson, who threw it down to make it a 67-61 game, and UConn held on from there.

The Huskies were ahead 35-31 at halftime, and Dyson’s layup shortly into the second half made it a 40-33 game. Seton Hall followed with the next six points, and it was a one-possession contest for much of the half.

Robinson had 10 points for UConn, which made 50.9 percent of its shots…Pope ended with 14 rebounds and 10 points for Seton Hall, which shot only 35.5 percent, but had the same number of made field goals (27) as the Huskies.