The Connecticut Huskies continue to struggle since head coach Jim Calhoun was forced to take a medical leave of absence. Three days after hanging tough against the No. 2 Syracuse Orange, the Huskies blew a 14-point second half lead on the road to the Providence Friars on Tuesday. Calhoun is expected to return courtside for the season finale against the Pittsburgh Panthers.
Bryce Cotton scored 22 points, with 16 coming after the Huskies built a 51-37 lead with just over 12 minutes to go. He nailed back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Friars within seven points. He hit another trey to tie the game at 54 a piece, and another to put Providence up 59-56 and cap a 22-5 run over a six-minute stretch in the second half.
From there, the Friars expanded their lead to as many as seven points before the Huskies clawed back. With the Huskies down 72-70 with four seconds to go, Shabazz Napier intentionally missed his second free throw but Gerald Coleman secured the rebound to solidify the Providence win.
Andre Drummond led the Huskies with 14 points and 12 rebounds in 38 minutes on the court. Jeremy Lamb added 12 points and six rebounds, but went just 5-for-15 shooting from the field. LaDontae Henton also had a nice game for the Friars, scoring 18 and grabbing seven rebounds.
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