Butler still winless vs. UConn as No. 4 Huskies rally to win Hinkle dog fight

INDIANAPOLIS — Butler stormed back from an eight-point deficit late in the second half, but its rally fizzled down the stretch, with an ill-timed offensive rebound in the final two minutes and an equally unfortunate 3-pointer ultimately unraveling the Bulldogs' charge and resulting in an 88-81 loss to No. 4 UConn on Friday at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

The Bulldogs are 0-8 overall vs. UConn.

More:UConn coach says Butler is an NCAA tournament team. But Bulldogs 'not there yet.'

Here are three takeaways from Friday's game.

UConn made the timely plays

The Huskies made champion plays in the critical moments in a hostile environment. Perhaps none were bigger than the sequence delivered by Cam Spencer.

With his team clinging to a four-point lead in the final two minutes, Spencer sailed in and secured an errant Hassan Diarra 3-point attempt, quickly calling a timeout and letting out a celebratory yell as he joined his teammates on the bench. That hustle play stifled Butler's momentum — the Dawgs poured in a lot of energy to pull back within two points — then he finished off whatever bits were left, drilling his second triple of the night to make it a three-possession game with less than a minute remaining.

The defense didn't come out with 'the same energy' in the second half

Butler generated nine turnovers (seven steals) in the first half and held UConn to just four 3-pointers on 13 attempts. It was an impressive start and with the Bulldogs closing the half on a 6-2 surge that was capped off with a steal and a dunk by Boden Kapke, conditions were optimal for them to maintain that momentum into the second half.

Instead, they stumbled out of the gate, surrendering an 11-4 run that allowed UConn to tie the score at 46. They weren't playing with the same energy, weren't getting down in their stances and missed on a few assignments, coach Thad Matta lamented, and those errors allowed UConn to rally, then pull ahead, answering Butler free throws and layups with layups and 3-pointers. 

Credit the visitors for hitting a number of contested shots, but there were a few ill-timed lapses by Butler. Jahmyl Telfort cut the lead to 61-60 midway through the second half, leading coach Thad Matta to pump up the crowd from in front of the Butler bench. Stephon Castle quickly sussed out that energy, drilling a 3-pointer as a couple Butler players gazed at him.

Butler generated nine turnovers (seven steals) in the first half. It mustered just four in the second, while allowing the Huskies to shoot 63% from the field with six 3-pointers on 13 tries.

Butler's shooters never quite found their footing in the second half

Conversely, the Bulldogs' shooters were unable to really sustain their momentum in the second half. They finished shooting 46% for the half (47% overall), but strung together consecutive makes just twice over the final 20 minutes. 

The sluggish start offensively allowed UConn to rally from a seven-point deficit with a 12-6 run. The Huskies' advantage ballooned to as many as eight.

DJ Davis was critical to Butler securing a 42-35 lead at halftime, netting a team-high 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, but he stumbled to an 0-for-3 start through the first 13 minutes after halftime. He seemed to find his shooting stroke midway through the half, drilling a 3-pointer to make it a four-point game with 6:47 remaining, then contributing a layup and an assist as part of a 9-2 run that made it a one-point game with 3:45 left. But he missed three of his final four shots and UConn was able to ice the win. 

Davis finished with 22 points on 8-of-19 shooting with four triples and four assists.

Butler committed 11 turnovers, six of which came in the second half.