Dan Hurley led his No. 11 UConn Huskies to a hard-fought victory over Providence 87-84 on Sunday at Gampel Pavilion. The game saw UConn overcome a 12-point deficit in the first half to register a comeback triumph over the Friars.
The Huskies entered the game on a roll, having won their last seven games, but they faced a tough challenge from Providence, which had won only two of its previous nine games.
UConn again struggled with its defense in the first half, an issue coach Dan Hurley has been emphasizing. However, the Huskies slowly clawed back into the game in the second half. In a key stretch, UConn went on a 26-5 run to erase the deficit and take control of the game.
"Obviously, it would have been a Quad Three loss at home, and it just would have been a real tough one for us," Hurley said postgame (0:48).
"Tarris' second half was huge. Aidan Mahaney — I thought his defense was a lot better in the second half, and it was a big difference maker. But we cheated death in this one here today, and we're going to have to win games in this type of manner."
The Huskies, without injured starter Liam McNeeley (ankle), had six players score in double figures. Hassan Diarra scored a career-high 19 points, Solomon Ball (16 points), Aidan Mahaney (15 points) and Alex Karaban (13 points). Meanwhile, Tarris Reed and Samson Johnson scored 10 each.
Dan Hurley sparks comeback with halftime wardrobe change
UConn coach Dan Hurley is known for being superstitious, but he put that aside on Sunday to honor the late Lou Carnesecca by wearing a loud sweater during the Providence game.
The decision was a bit out of character for Hurley, who typically wears the same outfit on game days to maintain his team's winning streak.
However, the Huskies found themselves trailing 27-39 at halftime, leading Dan Hurley to make some adjustments, both to his wardrobe and his team's approach.
"It was really hard. It was a tough thing for me, just with how superstitious I am," he said.
"Underneath the sweater, it might have been a socks change and maybe I changed my glasses. If you go back and look at the second half, I had much thinner-rimmed glasses, which is why I wore against them both times last year."
The two-time national coach did wear the sweater throughout the game, though, as a tribute to the late St. John's legend. To Hurley's relief, the UConn Huskies mounted a strong second half and won 87-84.
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