No. 4 UConn again survived a scare at Providence.
The Huskies had to rally from an early 13-point hole Wednesday night before eventually pulling off a 103-98 overtime win against the Friars at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. That gave the Huskies their 11th straight win and kept them perfect in Big East play this season.
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Providence erupted near the end of the first half to take control of the contest. It mounted a 21-4 run and took a 13-point lead just before halftime. Solo Ball drilled a 3-pointer with about 30 seconds left to cut the deficit to 10 at the break. Providence went 7-of-12 from behind the arc in the first 20 minutes.
Though the Huskies didn’t go away, they couldn’t close the gap. Providence repeatedly responded after every little run the Huskies mounted. The Friars even went up by 11 after a fast-break layup from Ryan Mela with about three minutes left in the game.
The Huskies responded with seven quick points in less than a minute. Alex Karaban then hit a floater in the middle of the lane with just more than 90 seconds left to cap the 9-0 run and get UConn back within a single possession, forcing a Providence timeout.
Though Karaban and Jaylin Sellers traded deep 3-pointers, it was Tarris Reed who eventually secured a putback that forced overtime at the end of regulation.
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Braylon Mullins put UConn back in control of the game. Mullins hit a deep shot from the corner to give the Huskies their first lead of the game since the early minutes, and then he drilled a 3-pointer to help spark a 10-3 run that eventually locked down the five-point win.
Ryan Mela led the Friars with 19 points off the bench, and Jamier Jones finished with 18 after he went 6-of-9 from the field. Providence ended up shooting 14-of-24 from behind the arc. Providence was looking for its first win over UConn since 2023. The loss dropped the Friars to 8-7 and marked their third in four games to start Big East play.
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Mullins led the Huskies with 24 points, including six 3-pointers. He was one of four Huskies who dropped at least 20 points in the win, and all five of their starters hit double figures. Karaban added 23 points, and Silas Demary Jr. had 23 points and 15 assists.
The Huskies are 15-1 and 5-0 in conference play. Their lone loss came against Arizona in mid-November. While the rest of their conference slate won’t be easy by any means, UConn is clearly a full step ahead of the rest of the Big East this season.
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