HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Alex Karaban had seven of his 20 points in overtime to lead No. 11 UConn to a 94-89 victory over Xavier on Wednesday night in the Big East opener for both teams.
Solo ball led the Huskies (9-3) with 22 points and Tarris Reed Jr. had twenty, including four in OT. Reed also grabbed 13 rebounds.
Liam McNeeley hit two free throws with 12 seconds to play in regulation after Xavier’s Dante Maddox Jr. tied the game with his fifth three-pointer of the game. A late mistake by UConn allowed Maddox to tie the game again with a pair of foul shots with 9.4 seconds left.
Ryan Conwell had 23 points and Maddox finished with 22 for Xavier (8-4).
Both teams were missing key players. A lower body injury will sideline Zach FreemantleXavier’s leading scorer and rebounder, indefinitely. UConn had no starting center Samson Johnson (concussion protocol.)
Takeaways
Xavier: This was Xavier’s second of three straight games against ranked teams. The last time the Musketeers had three consecutive games against ranked teams was in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. Playing without Freemantle, who missed all of last season, only increases the challenge for Xavier.
UConn: The Huskies had not been beaten from the three-point line in their first ten games, but won their conference opener despite being outscored 39-24 on three-pointers.
Key moment
Xavier was within a point early in overtime before Reed hit back-to-back baskets to give the Huskies a two-possession lead.
Key stat
UConn took advantage of Freemantle’s absence by outscoring Xavier 50-28 in points in the paint. Eight of UConn’s points in overtime came in the paint.
Next
The Musketeers host No. 9 Marquette on Saturday. UConn plays at Butler on Saturday.
