Tarris Reed Jr. powered inside for 20 points and 10 rebounds, leading UConn to a 93-79 victory over Georgetown on Wednesday in Hartford, Conn.
Solo Ball also scored 20 points for the Huskies (19-9, 11-6 Big East), who beat the Hoyas for the 10th straight time. UConn has alternated wins and losses for the past seven games.
Liam McKneeley scored 17 points and Hassan Diarra produced 14 points for UConn, which took the lead late in the first half and held it the rest of the way.
The Huskies made 55.9 percent of their shots from the floor and 9 of 24 (37.5 percent) from 3-point range, while the Hoyas hit 51.8 of their shots, including 11 of 27 (40.7 percent) from deep.
The Huskies answered the call of coach Dan Hurley, who during a timeout, implored them to work the ball inside.
“We’ve got to put enormous pressure on the rim,” Hurley said of the Hoyas, who were short-handed inside without freshman standout Thomas Sorber. On Tuesday, Georgetown announced that the 6-foot-10 freshman was out for the year with a left foot injury.
With the win, the Huskies enhanced their chances of capturing a bye in the Big East tournament. Teams that finish among the top four in the regular season automatically advance to the quarterfinals. UConn is currently in fourth place in the league.
Micah Peavy tallied 25 points to pace Georgetown (16-12, 7-10), which has lost 10 of its past 14.
Jayden Epps contributed 13 points, while Drew Fielder and Jordan Burks scored 11 each for the Hoyas.
Georgetown got off to a blistering start, hitting its first five shots. Four were 3-pointers including a pair less than a minute apart by Peavy as the Hoyas rolled to a 14-4 lead.
UConn continued to trail until it went on a 14-3 run, fueled by its domination in the paint. Reed scored half of the points in the spree, which put UConn up 35-29 with 4:53 left in the half.
Ball had the final basket of the half, sinking a 3-pointer that gave the Huskies a 42-35 lead.
In the second half, the Hoyas remained within striking distance until the Huskies went on a 9-2 run, highlighted by a 3-pointer from Jaylin Stewart, to grab a 66-56 lead with 11:56 left.
Down the stretch, 3-pointers by Ball and Alex Karaban, who finished with 13 points, steadied UConn.
–Field Level Media
