A strong outing from the bench and behind the three-point line led visiting Connecticut to a 72-60 win over Butler Saturday afternoon at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
 
The Huskies went 10-of-21 from behind the arc, including hitting five of their first seven attempts to build a lead they would not relinquish. Twenty-eight of their points came from the bench, including leading scorer Tyler Polley with 19.
 
"I'm disappointed in this one; UConn played with more energy and we weren't as passionate as we needed to be," said Butler coach LaVall Jordan. "We dug ourselves an early hole and never could get all the way back. I thought the start of both halves was where the game was won."
 
UConn (6-1 overall and 3-1 in BIG EAST play) opened the game by scoring 11 of the first 14 points as Butler went 1-of-8 from the field with two turnovers over that same stretch. Butler would chip away at what would be a 10-point first half lead to pull within, 33-28, at the half.
 
The second half started in a similar way as UConn scored the first six points to take what was the largest lead of the game at that time, 39-28. After the lead extended to 19 midway through the half, a Butler 7-0 spurt would cut the deficit to 56-44 on a Jair Bolden trifecta with 8:47 remaining. Following a UConn timeout, the Bulldogs were never able to get within single digits the rest of the way.
 
Bryce Nze led Butler (3-6, 2-4 BIG EAST) with 18 points and six rebounds. He went 6-of-8 from the field. He was joined in double figures by Aaron Thompson (14) and Bryce Golden (10). Thompson had six assists. The Bulldogs were uncharacteristically done in by turnovers, committing 15 on the afternoon, nearly five more than their season average which is Top 25 in the nation.
 
Butler shot 47 percent from the field, but only 5-of-15 from three-point range.
 
UConn played without leading scorer James Bouknight, who injured his elbow in the team's win at Marquette earlier in the week. Tyrese Martin had 15 for the Huskies. Polley's 19 included a 5-of-8 mark from three-point range. 
 
The Bulldogs return to the road, traveling to St. John's for a Tuesday night match-up. The 7 p.m. tip will air on FS1.