A harsh reality is hitting UConn as hard as sledgehammer to the mid-section after its second straight defeat.

Without leading scorer James Bouknight to lean on, the Huskies will have a difficult time consistently winning in the ultra-competitive Big East, especially on the road.

Saturday's 74-66 loss at No. 11 Creighton at CHI Health Center in Omaha, Neb., serves as more evidence.

Coach Dan Hurley demanded more energy from his Huskies after losing to St. John's at home on Monday and he got it against the Bluejays.

No. 23 UConn (7-3, 4-3) fought hard but once again couldn't overcome shaky offensive execution and defensive breakdowns. The Huskies are 2-2 since Bouknight was sidelined with an elbow injury.

"We were tougher and battled and gave a pretty good effort for the most part," Hurley said during a post-game Zoom session. "We played hard. It's not the same storyline as the St John's game where we just got out-toughed. We obviously couldn't guard them in the second half individually off the dribble. They torched us.

"But we competed hard. We were tougher. We were all over the backboard. We just can't finish in the paint. We had a hard time scoring."

The Huskies dominated the boards, finishing with a 42-27 rebounding edge, but turned 18 offensive boards into just 12 second chance points.

"The number of layups that we missed, putbacks and point-blank shots, it's frustrating, and then it became demoralizing and affected our defensive integrity," Hurley said.

They got off to a dreadful offensive start, converting just five of their first 27 shots from the field.

Still, a late surge cut a 10-point gap to one (29-28) at halftime.

They led only once after intermission — 30-29 on junior Tyrese Martin's two free throws on the first possession.

The game remained tight until Creighton broke away with a 14-2 run that generated a 12-point lead. Senior Denzel Mahoney, who had a game-high 20 points, put the Bluejays (11-4, 7-3) ahead for good, 50-48, with just over 10 minutes left.

UConn climbed to as close as six (62-56) with 5:20 remaining on back-to-back 3-pointers by senior Isaiah Whaley and junior Brendan Adams before fading again.

"We needed timely defensive stops at the end and we didn't get those," redshirt junior R.J. Cole said.

The Huskies finished shooting 37 percent from the field, respectable considering their awful start. Defensively, they're losing ground.

For the first time this season, they've allowed an opponent to shoot at least 49 percent in two consecutive games. They gave up a season-high 51 percent, including nearly 58 percent in the second half to Creighton, the Big East's top scoring team.

"They're one of the best offensive teams in the country," Hurley said. "But we just caved in. ... I don't know how many games we're going to be able to win that go north of 60 (points) based on what we're putting on the court right now. We've got to do a better job on the defensive end, being able to do it for a full 40 minutes."

UConn battled foul trouble and a shorthanded bench. In addition to Bouknight, the Huskies didn't have reserve Akok Akok, who sat out with a minor shin injury, and sophomore guard Jalen Gaffney limped off the court in the second half.

Forward Adama Sanogo, a freshman with a bright future, scored a career-high 13 points and grabbed five rebounds before fouling out with about two minutes left. He's provided an unexpected offensive contribution lately, scoring in 25 points the last two games after totaling just 24 in the previous seven.

"He didn't play a great game," Hurley said. "He got off to a really bad start and then was able to put that behind him and be our most reliable player. Adama is going to be special. But if you would have said to me before the season that Adama is going to your most reliable offensive player, I would be saying that we have some issues."

Cole (14 points, five assists), Martin (11 points, five rebounds) and Whaley (10 points, nine rebounds) also scored in double figures. Senior Tyler Polley went scoreless, missing all four shots. Reserves contributed just 12 points overall.

Don't expect UConn's offensive issues to go away anytime soon. Bouknight won't likely return until at least mid-February.

"We just can't let these losses define our season," Cole said. "I feel like if we stay together and continue to display our toughness, I think we can get through it. And then as soon as James gets back, we can just continue to move forward rather than waiting for him to come back to start displaying toughness and the things that we need to do."

News and notes

All three of UConn's losses are by single digits. ... Hurley is hoping that freshman Andre Jackson, who's been out six straight games with a broken bone in his left wrist, will be back within the week. ... Hurley picked up a technical foul in the first half after barking at officials. What did he say? "That's none of your business. It's between me and the ref." ... Adams had a career-high nine rebounds to go with six points. ... Hurley didn't sound too optimistic about Akok, who's struggling in his comeback from an Achilles injury. "As we've seen the last couple of games, we've got to be thinking big picture with him. I don't think you're really going to see that guy being himself until much further down the road, into next season. It's a tough situation right now." ... UConn hosts Butler Tuesday in Storrs. Butler restarted team activities again on Saturday after learning it had a false positive COVID-19 test. The Bulldogs postponed Friday's game against Seton Hall before learning the news.

g.keefe@theday.com