UConn encouraged by Jaylin Stewart’s breakout game despite loss at Villanova: ‘Good time to get us’

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VILLANOVA, Pa. – Dan Hurley almost took the bait.

Sitting at the postgame press conference in front of the Villanova backdrop after Wednesday’s tough loss, the UConn head coach mentioned that with star freshman Liam McNeeley out: “This is a good time to get us.”

Those comments unintentionally echoed Hurley’s famous, “You better get us now, because it’s coming” line from a loss to the Wildcats in January 2020, though that was in a much different context, the Huskies then in year two of a rebuild, as opposed to coming off back-to-back national titles.

Asked a follow-up question, Hurley caught on quickly. “Are you trying to drag me into an, ‘It’s coming?’ Because I’m not gonna do that. I actually thought about it, ‘You better get us before he gets…’ No, I’m not gonna go back to the well.”

Whether he finished the line or not, the sentiment was the same.

The Huskies showed promise without their second-best player for the second game in a row, despite a heartbreaking 68-66 road loss at Villanova. With McNeeley nursing his high ankle sprain, sophomore Jaylin Stewart answered the bell, stepping up to carry the team through the first half. He finished with 14 points on 6 of 9 shooting and blocked the nation’s leading scorer, Eric Dixon, twice. Classmate Solo Ball heated up in the second half, leading the charge alongside point guard Hassan Diarra in a comeback from down double figures – a position the Huskies were in for the second straight game without McNeeley – with 16 points after the break.

No. 9 UConn men lose at Villanova, 68-66, as comeback bid falls short at free throw line

“I mean Jaylin Stewart, obviously we’re thrilled with the way he played and that’s encouraging both in the short term and in the long term when we get Liam back,” Hurley said. “If we can get J-Stew playing at that level, then Liam’s injury becomes a positive once we get to full strength.”

While Alex Karaban, Diarra and Ball, the team’s third-leading…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/uconn-encouraged-jaylin-stewart-breakout-163600762.html

Author : Hartford Courant

Publish date : 2025-01-09 16:36:00

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