Tarris Reed Jr. tied his season high with 21 points, Alex Karaban netted 13 and Braylon Mullins scored 11 to help No. 3 UConn escape with a 69-64 victory over No. 25 Seton Hall on Tuesday in Newark, N.J.
The Huskies (17-1, 7-0 Big East) won their 13th straight game despite Seton Hall charging back from an 18-point deficit to make it a one-point game in the final minute. UConn had not won at Seton Hall since March 2021.
UConn shot 51% from the field but made just 3 of 17 3-point attempts and gave up 17 turnovers that the Pirates turned into 20 points.
Mike Williams III led Seton Hall (14-3, 4-2) with 16 points and made the team’s only 3-pointer of the night with 47 seconds left. Adam “Budd” Clark had 12 points before fouling out and Najai Hines added 10 points and seven rebounds.
Seton Hall was 0-for-13 from 3-point range to start the game before Williams drilled a second-chance three from the left corner to make it 65-64 with 47 seconds left. The Pirates outrebounded the Huskies 37-34 but had Clark and Stephon Payne foul out among their 22 fouls.
Reed led all players with nine boards.
The Huskies’ lead was 46-28 with 14:48 to play before Seton Hall, for the fourth straight game, clawed back from a double-digit deficit. The Pirates continually got to the free-throw line, trimming it to 56-50 with eight minutes left and 60-54 when Trey Parker had a steal and layup.
Mullins, a freshman, hit a tough paint floater in response, but two minutes later Parker snatched the ball from Mullins and took it the length of the floor, finishing with an acrobatic up-and-under to make it 62-56 with 3:47 to go.
Parker’s o-board and putback cut it to four, and Elijah Fisher forced a UConn turnover in the backcourt that led to Clark’s midrange jumper to make it 62-60 with 2:18 left.
UConn failed to make a field goal for the final 5:41 following Mullins’ shot, but it inched away with free throws. After Williams’ huge triple made it 65-64 with 48 seconds left, Silas Demary Jr. salted it away with a 4 for 4 showing at the line.
Demary finished with eight points and seven assists.
The first half was contested within three points until UConn’s 16-2 run to end the half. The Pirates were held without a made field goal for the final 7:04, missing their final six shots.
Solo Ball ran out in transition for a high-flying dunk that established UConn’s 35-22 halftime advantage.
–Field Level Media
