UConn men's basketball outlasts Xavier in 94-89 overtime thriller to begin Big East play

Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant on Dec 18, 2024

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HARTFORD – Anything can happen in a conference opener for the UConn men’s basketball program.

It took an extra five minutes on Wednesday night, but the 11th-ranked Huskies were able to put away Xavier, 94-89, for their first win in a home conference opener since 2011.

Tarris Reed Jr. made his first UConn start in place of Samson Johnson, who went into concussion protocol during Saturday’s win over Gonzaga. The Michigan transfer was effective early and often, muscling through the paint for a pair of layups that gave UConn breathing room during the overtime period as he finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds, his fifth double-double of the season. Solo Ball (22 points) and Alex Karaban (20 points) led the way as all five starters finished in double-figures.

Hassan Diarra tacked on 12 points and 11 assists and Liam McNeeley added 14, all of which came during the second half.

The program – which has won five consecutive games since returning from Maui – is now 2-5 when opening conference play under coach Dan Hurley.

After they couldn’t make enough free throws in a drill to end Tuesday’s practice, the Huskies went 20-for-21 from the stripe on Wednesday night, complimenting their 47.8% shooting from the field and 8-for-24 mark from beyond the arc.

Reed scored six points with four rebounds in his first stretch of about eight minutes. Youssouf Singare replaced him off the bench and finished a layup for his second basket of the season. The XL Center crowd got loud for the beloved personality who spent most of last year developing behind Johnson and Donovan Clingan, and he scored on a putback at the end of an 8-0 run that put UConn ahead by 10.

Without leading scorer Zach Freemantle, Xavier (8-4) answered with a 12-0 run while UConn went scoreless for nearly seven minutes as McNeeley sat on the bench with two fouls. Ball ended the drought with the Huskies’ first 3-point make on eight attempts and Diarra and Karaban followed suit, trading triples with Xavier’s Ryan Conwell (23 points) and Jerome Hunter (7 points) as Xavier took a 30-29 lead into the break.

UConn (9-3) shot just 36.4% from the field and 3-for-12 from beyond the arc in the opening half.

McNeeley, scoreless in the first half, opened the scoring in the second with a mid-range jumper and got up to eight points in six minutes, but Xavier never went away. The Musketeers made six of their first nine shots from the field, three from beyond the arc, and wiped a 5-point deficit to regain the lead with 11 minutes to go.

Whether it was silent or the XL Center crowd was on its feet, nothing slowed Xavier from beyond the arc. The Musketeers shot 70% from the field in the second half and went 12-for-19 from beyond the arc in regulation, but made just 1 of 5 in the extra period.

Dante Maddox Jr. (22 points) made two 3-pointers in a row during a 9-0 run, giving the Musketeers a 69-64 lead with five minutes to go. But Ball erased the deficit with a personal 5-0 flurry, making a layup through traffic and a 3-pointer from the wing that made the crowd roar. Ball nailed another triple to give UConn a 72-71 lead around the three-minute mark. Maddox eventually tied the game with 30 seconds left on his fifth made 3-pointer in eight attempts, and he and McNeeley traded free throws in the final 10 seconds. Ball’s attempt at a game-winner was short.

Karaban opened the overtime period with a deep 3-pointer, answered by a layup from Dayvion McKnight (18 points), and Reed muscled his way through the paint for back-to-back layups that stretched the Huskies’ lead to 85-80 with just under three minutes left. The Huskies’ captain blocked a 3-point attempt and scored in transition, allowing Ball and Diarra to seal the game from the free throw line.

UConn returns to action on Saturday for a Noon tip-off against Butler.