UConn cruises to 99-45 win vs. Maryland Eastern Shore following Maui disappointment

Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant on Nov 30, 2024

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HARTFORD, Conn. — The UConn men’s basketball team was in need of a decisive, blowout victory after its winless trip to the Maui Invitational earlier this week. Meeting Maryland Eastern Shore at the XL Center on Saturday, two days after their return flight, the Huskies cruised to a 99-45 victory without leading scorer, Alex Karaban.

In a balanced effort, UConn had six players in double-figure scoring and 10 players with at least five points.

Liam McNeeley and Jaylin Stewart, in Karaban’s typical starting spot, led the way with 16 points apiece, while Solo Ball and Aidan Mahaney added 12 and 11, respectively. Jayden Ross recorded the first double-double of his career with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Tarris Reed Jr. notched his fourth of the season with 10 points and 12 boards.

Karaban suffered a head injury near the end of UConn’s final game on Maui against Dayton and was cleared at a local hospital before joining the team’s flight back late Wednesday night. He sat on the bench in street clothes on Saturday.

Hassan Diarra found Samson Johnson wide open for an alley-oop dunk and, as the Hawks turned the ball over — five times in the first five minutes — McNeeley and Ball took advantage and finished inside. Stewart, the sophomore making his first career start, nailed a 3-pointer and Diarra followed suit to push the lead out to 18-4 after seven minutes.

Coach Dan Hurley turned to freshman point guard Ahmad Nowell, who played some effective minutes in Maui, about midway through the opening half. He assisted Jayden Ross on a dunk and scored five points in a flurry. A triple from McNeeley pushed UConn’s lead to 30-8 with 8:35 on the clock.

Ball finished a layup a minute later, but UConn went about six and a half minutes before scoring again on the Maryland Eastern Shore defense, which entered the game ranked No. 357 of 364 Division I programs by KenPom’s metrics.

Mahaney eventually ended the drought with a layup through contact and the Huskies took a 40-18 lead into halftime.

UConn had missed nine consecutive 3-pointers from the start of its first-half drought until Ross hit his first of the game nearly four minutes into the second half.

Stewart scored seven of the first 13 points after the break and was replaced by freshman Isaiah Abraham with 15 minutes to go. Abraham nailed a 3-pointer immediately upon entering and Ball made consecutive shots from deep to push the lead to 40 points, 65-25.

Mahaney got going with eight points in a four-minute stretch, and Reed, Ball and Ross each threw down dunks to further extend the lead.

UConn shot 66.7% from the field in the second half and 54.2% for the game. The Huskies made 10 of 27 from beyond the arc and dominated the glass for a 48-23 rebounding advantage.

UConn (5-3) will have a bit of a break from game action before hosting a highly-anticipated matchup against No. 17 Baylor at Gampel Pavilion on Wednesday.