UConn stacks 18th straight win with 92-60 demolition over Xavier
The No. 2 UConn basketball team returned to action this past Tuesday night for a Peoples Bank Arena showdown against the Xavier Musketeers. This matchup comes off the heels of the program’s most dominant win all season long in Omaha against the Creighton Bluejays. The Huskies completed the season sweep over Xavier this Tuesday night with a 92-60 win. UConn picked up right where they left off last Saturday night, putting the Musketeers on the ropes early.
Braylon Mullins was a one-man wrecking crew for Connecticut. Whether he used his patented quick release to knock down big shots from beyond the arc or got up for an impressive dunk, Mullins went deep into his bag early on. Xavier had no answer for the forward, who single-handedly got the Huskies going on a 6-0 run to kick things off.
Unfortunately, for Xavier’s sake, the situation only got worse for the program. The Huskies quickly went up 10-0 and kept the foot on the gas for the remainder of the half.
For as well as Mullins was hooping, he was hardly the only contributor. Tarris Reed Jr. also kept the Musketeers at bay, recording 10 points and four rebounds in 13 minutes of play. The Michigan transfer played an integral role in the massive rebound discrepancy that existed. Connecticut nearly doubled Xavier’s first half total, 22-12. Everyone who touched the hardwood for UConn came away with at least one board; Alex Karaban led with five.
For as well as the Huskies were shooting it, their defense looked as good as it has all season long. The Musketeers’ rarely found themselves with high percentage looks on offense, and no matter what they drew up, Xavier never shook Connecticut’s defense. Xavier finished 8-28 (28.6%) from the field, while the Huskies shot the lights out at 19-31 (61.3%). Postgame, head coach Dan Hurley told the media that his team’s high-level shooting has been coming.
“I think it’s taking some time for people to get comfortable, and we dealt with injuries… [Mullins] catches the concussion and misses a week. We have just had a lot of s*** going on this year. I think this is who we believe we can be.”
Mullins led the way with 13 first-half points, and UConn sprinted into the locker room with a dominating 50-22 halftime lead.
The second half rolled around, and while the Huskies did play out a solid final 20 minutes, the Musketeers finally settled into the contest.
Xavier’s shooting in general noticeably improved. Malik Messina-Moore led the way for Xavier with 10 second-half points on 2-3 shooting. The Musketeers also shot the three-ball much better, finishing 5-11, which helped keep the contest as close as possible.
While Xavier improved on its nightmare start, UConn still played a solid second half, showing encouraging long-term signs. Silas Demary Jr. added on a solid nine-point, seven-assist first half in a big way, picking up eight more points for his troubles.
Players off the bench also got in on the action, including Jayden Ross, who demonstrated his abilities in Tuesday’s blowout. Ross demonstrated his ability to hit shots from deep, knocking down a pair of threes and even completed a tough alley-oop. Eric Reibe also logged solid minutes off the bench, accumulating 10 points and five rebounds in the game’s final 20 minutes. Postgame. Hurley was pleased with Reibe’s performance and compared it to the situation Donovan Clingan faced with Adama Sanogo.
“It’s tough to compare players, but with [Clingan], he saw the big picture,” the head coach said. “You want Eric to be able to understand that he plays in a dominant tandem. It should look like this a lot for us. I just hope he has the perspective that [Clingan] had when he was in the same position because it worked pretty well for [Clingan].”
Connecticut sprinted to the finish line and, after a technical foul and a challenge, the Huskies completed the blowout win, 92-60.
Tuesday night was arguably the program’s most complete win of the season. Xavier was put on the ropes early, they could never get off the mat, and it did not take long for UConn to deliver the knockout blow. The Huskies will have their hands full this Friday for a difficult road showdown at Madison Square Garden against Rick Pitino and the No. 22 St. John’s Red Storm.
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