Braylon Mullins didn’t look the worse for wear in his return from concussion protocol, scoring 16 points to pace No. 3 UConn to yet another victory.
Mullins will look to fuel the high-octane Huskies (21-1, 11-0 Big East) to their 18th straight victory on Tuesday night when they face Xavier (12-10, 4-7) in Hartford, Conn.
After sitting out UConn’s victory over Providence on Jan. 27, Mullins returned with a flourish in Saturday’s 85-58 romp over host Creighton. The freshman sank a 3-pointer on his first shot, made three more of his attempts from beyond the arc and finished with a team-high 16 points.
“Getting back into practice Friday felt good, felt 100%. Transitioned that into (Saturday),” Mullins said. “Thought I was going to be a little under the wind, trying to get my wind back, but no, we came to play.”
Alex Karaban and Silas Demary Jr. each collected 15 points and six rebounds for the Huskies, who shot 54.1% from the floor and held a decisive 37-24 advantage on the glass. UConn also made 16 of 31 attempts from beyond the arc (51.6%).
“We’ve been looking for a performance like this for a while here, where we were able to get some separation and play a full 40-minute game,” UConn head coach Dan Hurley said. “Thrilled to get out of here with how well we played.”
And with that, the bar has been raised.
“Now, to finally be able to do that is awesome,” Karaban said. “Now we know what the standard and expectation of our team is and now (we have) to do it consistently on a nightly basis. That’s what we’re going to aim for.”
The Huskies feature five players scoring in double figures, led by Solo Ball (14.6 points per game). Tarris Reed Jr. (14.1 ppg, 7.8 rebounds per game) and Karaban (13.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg) also provide a presence on the glass as well.
Mullins made five 3-pointers to highlight his 17-point performance in UConn’s 90-67 victory over host Xavier on New Year’s Eve. Karaban collected 19 points and seven rebounds while Ball added 17 points in that game for the Huskies.
That setback began a string of six losses in eight games for Xavier before it overcame an 18-point deficit in the second half to claim a 68-66 victory over visiting DePaul on Saturday.
Big East scoring leader Tre Carroll (18.3 points per game) poured in 21 points, and Filip Borovicanin sank a fadeaway jumper at the buzzer to cap a 16-point performance for the Musketeers.
“I don’t even know what to say, to be honest,” Borovicanin said. “I appreciate my guys for trusting me to take the shot at the end of the game.”
Xavier overcame being outscored 34-20 in points in the paint and being outrebounded 31-29. That said, head coach Richard Pitino wasn’t interested in making excuses for the win.
“It’s almost February. You have to win games like that in this league,” Pitino said. “There weren’t a lot of things going for us this afternoon. To be able to block all of that out and lock in was great.”
–Field Level Media
