Storrs — Sterling Gibbs put in some overtime on Tuesday.

His busy day started with a 7:30 a.m workout with UConn assistant coach Karl Hobbs.

Then, after practice ended in the afternoon, Gibbs, UConn's starting point guard, spent some extra time with coach Kevin Ollie, working on his shooting, including finishing around the rim, 3-pointers and free throws.

Since returning home from the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas, Gibbs also sat down with Ollie for a video session. The Huskies (4-2) posted a 1-2 record in the tournament, ending with consecutive 3-point losses to No. 10 Gonzaga and Syracuse after opening with a win over Michigan.

Gibbs, a starting point guard, came away disappointed with his performance.

"It was a tough couple of games," Gibbs said. "The Michigan game, I played defense. Syracuse and Gonzaga, I didn't really play the way I wanted to play. We looked at film. (Coach Ollie) was able to show me a couple of things that I was doing wrong and that will help me out. We worked on them in practice and then we worked on them a little extra after."

Gibbs and the Huskies will attempt to bounce back on Wednesday against Sacred Heart (1-4) at the XL Center in Hartford (7 p.m., SNY). The Pioneers have dropped four straight.

UConn learned some valuable lessons during its three games in the Battle 4 Atlantis. The Huskies showed flashes of brilliance but also suffered breakdowns, especially on the defensive end. They also missed a ton of easy shots.

Gibbs, a Seton Hall transfer, made only 5 of 20 field goals in the two losses, averaging eight points. His scoring average has dipped to 12.2 points per game after pouring in 20.5 in the first two regular season games.

He responded by working overtime.

"The kid loves to work," Ollie said. "He was a little disappointed how he played. That's what you want a competitor to do, to come back and work. We know he's an outstanding shooter. When he gets those shots in other games, he's going to make them.

"How you make them is come in and grind. That's what he believes in, and that's why he's been a good player over his career. ... One thing about Sterling, he's very coachable. He comes up and asks for extra  help."

Ollie noticed in the video review that Gibbs took too many ill-advised 3-pointers, sometimes too early in the shot clock.

A former NBA point guard, Ollie also taught Gibbs a few things about finishing around the rim during their roughly 30-minute post-practice workout session on Tuesday.

"I missed a lot of layups, especially in the Gonzaga game," Gibbs said. "One thing with him, we're almost the same height. He had to finish over bigger guys, so he was just showing me a couple of tricks."

Ollie is searching from consistency from all his players. Wednesday's game is an important tuneup for next week when the Huskies play two straight games against quality non-conference foes, facing No. 2 Maryland Tuesday in the Jimmy V Classic in New York and hosting Ohio State on Saturday, Dec. 12.

His view of his Huskies remains the same despite two straight losses. Their win last week came against Michigan.

"We have a great team, and I'm going to keep saying that," Ollie said. "But when we don't play together, we're mediocre. When we're not sharing the ball and we're not playing defense, we're mediocre. ... It hasn't been consistent enough on the defensive end and the offensive end for us to win games against top 25 teams. We have to do that.

"We've been taking care of business against teams that we should be taking care of business against. For us to be in the NCAA tournament, we have to find ways of winning those games. The Syracuse game was winnable and the Gonzaga game was winnable. Michigan, we took care of business. It wasn't perfect, Michigan. But we played defense and we played offense consistently. That's what good teams do, but I want to be a great team.

"For us to be great, everybody has got to understand their roles and perform at a high level."

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @GavinKeefe

SACRED HEART at UCONN

Tip: 7 p.m. (SNY)

Location: XL Center, Hartford

Records: Sacred Heart 1-4, UConn 4-2

Last game: Sacred Heart lost at Holy Cross, 69-60, Wednesday; UConn lost to No. 10 Gonzaga, 73-70, in Battle 4 Atlantis Friday

Probable starters: Sacred Heart, 6-0 so. guard Cane Broome (23.2 pts, 5.4 rebs, 3.2 assists), 6-3 fr. guard Quincy McKnight (10 pts, 3 rebs), 6-6 grad. forward Jordan Allen (11.6 pts, 4.6 rebs), 6-7 sr. forward Tevin Falzon (16.5 pts, 8.5 rebs), 6-7 r-jr. forward Matej Buovac (6.5 pts, 5.0 reb)

UConn, 6-2 grad. guard Sterling Gibbs (12.3 pts, 3.3 assists), 6-4 jr. guard Rodney Purvis (13.3 pts, 3 rebs), 6-7 so. forward Daniel Hamilton (12.3 pts, 8.8 rebs, 6.2 assists), 6-7 grad. forward Shonn Miller (12.5 pts, 5.3 rebs) 7-0 jr. center Amida Brimah (7.8 pts, 5.3 rebs, 2.8 blks)

Noteworthy: Regular-season opener at XL. ... Huskies fell out of AP top 25 after consecutive losses to Gonzaga and Syracuse in Battle 4 Atlantis. ... Series: UConn leads 5-0, winning last meeting 89-46 in 2006 in Storrs. ... Pioneers dropped four straight. Only win over Quinnipiac (76-64) on Nov. 13. ... Broome played prep at St. Thomas More in Oakdale...  Top reserve: so. guard Chris Robinson (8.4 pts, 4.6 rebs). ... Pioneers scoring NEC-leading 75.2 pts per game,  but allowing 80.4. ... Hot: Hamilton averaging just over 9 rebounds in last three games. Cold: Gibbs 5-for-20 from field in last two games. ... Up next: UConn faces No. 2 Maryland in Jimmy V. Classic Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.

– Gavin Keefe