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

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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…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/uconn-men-basketball-outlasts-xavier-024400119.html

Author : Hartford Courant

Publish date : 2024-12-19 02:44:00

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