No. 3 UConn uses strong first half to hold off No. 7 BYU 86-84
Fresh off an 89-62 win over Columbia, the No. 3 UConn men’s basketball team returned to action this past Saturday night for a marquee matchup against No. 7 BYU. Connecticut got the job done in front of the TD Garden crowd, holding on for a close 86-84 win.
Coming into Saturday night’s contest, Milhailo Boskovic was thrown into the starting lineup for BYU. The senior forward got the nod over Kennard Davis Jr., after Davis was held out by head coach Kevin Young due to a “violation of team rules”, following a suspicion of DUI arrest and citation.
The first 10 minutes of the first half were razor close. The Cougars’ defensive presence was palpable. UConn couldn’t generate a significant lead, and BYU’s defensive presence forced a few early turnovers. However, the Huskies’ defense also came to play, meaning buckets were hard to come by. Despite the low-scoring affair this contest was destined to be, UConn pulled away in the first half, and it started with them beating BYU down in the paint.
Tarris Reed Jr. was a one-man wrecking crew at one point. The senior center did an excellent job of winning positioning down low and bullying his man for hard-earned points. Reed finished the first half with 11 points on perfect 5-5 shooting. His defense was nothing to scoff at, either, as the Husky big man also picked up a pair of blocks. While it won’t show up in the box score, Reed’s presence in the paint also threw BYU scorers for a loop. Postgame, Reed reflected on how the practices have helped him to be as physical as he was.
“Our practices are so intense. There’s no team in the country that practices the way we practice,” Reed told media personnel. “Set the tone early, be dominant that first war, that first four minutes we need to be dominant.”
For as good as Reed’s defense was, it was a true team effort. Everyone did their part, whether it was simply winning an individual matchup, switching when necessary and playing physical basketball. These key tenets of defense also played a significant role in why BYU’s highly touted freshman forward, AJ Dybantsa, struggled to make an early impact. The 6-foot-9 forward went into the locker room at halftime with just four points on 1-6 shooting. PostgameDybantsanoted that he felt like he was “forcing it” to try and put points on the board.
A significant reason Connecticut led by double digits at the end of the first half was due to the play of Silas Demary Jr. Whether it was from beyond the arc, at the free throw line, or an acrobatic putback that sent the TD Garden into a frenzy, Demary was a significant thorn in BYU’s side. The junior guard finished the first half with 11 points on 3-6 shooting. Head coach Dan Hurley told the media that performances like this are what the program needs at the point guard position.
“That’s just exactly what we need at that position,” the UConn head coach said. “[Demary’s] able to get to the free throw line and put pressure on the rim. That is something we didn’t have last year.”
Alex Karaban was another Husky who had a first half to remember. The redshirt senior finished with 11 points on efficient 4-6 shooting. Karaban’s makes also came at troublesome times for the Cougars. The forward capped off a dominating 10-0 run for the Huskies with a shot from beyond the arc; this was the point of separation for UConn, and they never looked back, leading 43-32 at the end of 20 minutes.
BYU received bad news at the halftime break as starting center Keba Keita was announced out, after leaving the game, due to an injury near the midway point of the first half.
After both programs returned from the half, the game seemed to be heading into a very familiar direction. Reed scored a pair of buckets down low, drew a foul and BYU had no apparent answer. However, now it was Karaban taking center stage for the Huskies, as his shooting lit up the TD Garden.
Karaban finished the second half with 10 points on 4-5 slash. His shooting, along with seven points from Jayden Ross, gave the Huskies a 20-point advantage. Connecticut was in the driver’s seat. BYU couldn’t sustain consistent scoring, and midway through, it seemed like UConn would chalk up Saturday night as a comfortable win in Boston. However, Dybantsa, along with a significant defensive drop-off from the Huskies, made Saturday night’s win anything but.
The most noticeable difference between the two halves was that the Huskies’ disciplined defense deteriorated. The program committed many unnecessary fouls and allowed many open shots, a contrast to the first half. This proved to be all that BYU needed to claw back into this contest. The Cougars went on numerous scoring runs, with the program leaning on its freshman; time and time again, Dybantsa came through.
Dybantsa took over, finishing the second half with 21 points on 7-8 shooting, including a 5-6 slash from the charity stripe. There were times Saturday night when the freshman was unstoppable. No matchup, no matter how well the UConn defense guarded him, phased him even a bit. However, when Dybantsa couldn’t get a scoring look, his teammates were there to hit big shots when BYU needed them most. Whether it was Richie Saunders cashing in for a bucket or Robert Wright III hitting a near impossible three to make it a one-possession game, the Cougars excelled at making UConn uncomfortable.
Slowly but surely, UConn’s lead started to disappear. The Cougars seized all of the momentum, and Dybantsa couldn’t be stopped. Despite this, when Connecticut needed a bucket the most, someone was always there to answer.
Whether it was Solo Ball getting his own rebound off a free throw or Demary hitting a tough fadeaway late, the Huskies always had an answer to BYU, despite it not being pretty at times. Thanks to their clutch shot-making down the stretch, the Huskies held on for their biggest win this season, 86-84.
While for most programs, playing BYU in November is near the biggest game on their schedule, Connecticut has no time to take its foot off the gas. The Huskies return to action this Wednesday to host No. 5 Arizona at Gampel Pavilion.
