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 20, 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 3-pointer of the game. A late foul by UConn allowed Maddox to tie the game again with a pair of foul shots with 9.4 seconds remaining.
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 Freemantle, Xavier’s leading scorer and rebounder, indefinitely. UConn was without starting center Samson Johnson (concussion protocol).
Alex Karaban comes up with clutch block and layup to seal No. 11 UConn’s 94-89 overtime victory over Xavier
Takeaways
Xavier: This was the second of three straight games against ranked teams for Xavier. The last time the Musketeers had three consecutive matchups against ranked teams was in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. Playing without Freemantle, who missed all of last season, is only increasing the challenge for Xavier.
UConn: The Huskies hadn’t been outscored at the 3-point line in their first 10 games but won their conference opener despite being outscored 39-24 on 3-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.
Up next
The Musketeers play host to No. 9 Marquette on Saturday. UConn will play at Butler on Saturday.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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