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AP
The No. 5 UConn men’s basketball team bounced back from its loss to Creighton in a big way Saturday with an impressive 73-63 road win at Villanova.
Last month, the Huskies needed overtime to secure an eight-point victory against the Wildcats in Hartford.
Saturday’s win at Xfinity Mobile Arena in South Philadelphia was a bit easier, as UConn built its lead up to 21 points during its dominant second half.
The Huskies improved to 25-3 and 15-2 in conference play. They remain a half-game behind No. 17 St. John’s in the Big East standings, and the two teams play in Hartford Wednesday night.
Villanova fell to 21-6, as UConn snapped the Wildcats’ six-game winning streak. It’s their first loss since falling to the Huskies on Jan. 24.
RELATED: UConn men look to regroup but face tough test at Villanova on Saturday
The Wildcats still sit comfortably in third place in the league standings with a 12-3 record in Big East play. Even with the loss, they’re still four-and-a-half games ahead of fourth-place Seton Hall.
Saturday’s game was competitive at the start, resembling last month’s action.
In front of an audience of 20,261 people, UConn led most of the first half, but Villanova stayed in close pursuit.
The Huskies took a 34-32 lead into the intermission, but head coach Dan Hurley said at the break that their lead would have been double digits if not for an uncharacteristic number of turnovers.
Hurley’s team got the message and came out of the locker room with authority.
UConn’s defense clamped up and didn’t allow Villanova to make a basket until nearly five-and-a-half minutes had passed in the second half.
Meanwhile, the Huskies’ offense began clicking in a way it hadn’t for weeks.
While Villanova trimmed UConn’s lead down to 10 points in garbage time, the Huskies delivered one of their best halves of basketball this season.
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No player took center stage on Saturday, as six Huskies scored between eight and 12 points.
Senior center Tarris Reed, Jr. continues to show growth, as he made all five of his shots from the floor, finishing with 11 points. He also secured six rebounds, blocked three shots and had three assists.
Alex Karaban, UConn’s senior forward and captain, continued to play through a nagging injury but scored a team-high 12 points. He also had five rebounds.
With three games to go before the Big East Tournament, it will be interesting to see how Hurley and his staff manage Karaban’s health.
Freshman guard Braylon Mullins scored 10 points and nailed two-three pointers. He fouled out late in the second half, however.
Silas Demary, Jr. and Solo Ball, UConn’s dynamic junior guards, each scored nine points and grabbed three rebounds.
Demary had six assists as well but turned the ball over seven times. Ball didn’t cough it up once on Saturday.
Some of UConn’s recent struggles stemmed from poor bench play, but the second unit redeemed itself against Villanova by scoring 22 points.
Freshman center Eric Reibe led the bench production, scoring eight points. He also grabbed five rebounds.
Junior forward Jaylin Stewart also played well. He nailed both of his three-point attempts and finished with six points.
Villanova was led by junior guard Tyler Perkins, who scored a game-high 15 points, and hauled in six rebounds. Freshman forward Matt Hodge added 13 points for the Wildcats, and freshman guard Acaden Lewis scored 11.
After looking lethargic and lackadaisical in Wednesday’s loss to Creighton at Gampel Pavilion, UConn was markedly better on Saturday against a much tougher Villanova team.
RELATED: UConn men look to regroup but face tough test at Villanova on Saturday
The Huskies shot 55% from the field, which was 14% better than the Wildcats.
And, while the deep ball wasn’t the strongest part of UConn’s attack, they converted 32% of shot attempts from behind the arc, which was better than Villanova’s 25% clip.
Free throw shooting has arguably been the Huskies’ biggest problem this season, but it wasn’t on Saturday. UConn shot 85% from the foul line, much higher than their season percentage.
The Huskies dished out 19 assists too, which was seven more than the Wildcats, and had eight blocks, compared to Villanova’s four.
While UConn turned the ball over four more times than the Wildcats, points off turnovers were equal at 16.
Up next for Villanova is a home game against Butler on Wednesday at 7 p.m. on FS1.
For UConn, the biggest game of the regular season awaits.
The tip against St. John’s Wednesday is set for 7 p.m. at PeoplesBank Arena in downtown Hartford. The matchup will be broadcast on Peacock.
This game may well determine who wins the Big East regular season title and should pack the intensity of a postseason battle.
The Huskies will look to carry the good energy they found on Saturday into next week.
After shaking off the Creighton loss and delivering a powerful punch to Villanova, the Huskies are confident they can avenge their Feb. 7 loss to the Red Storm.
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Dalton Zbierski is a story desk editor and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at [email protected].
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