UConn’s Second-Half Surge Secures Eighth Consecutive Victory!

STORRS – The No. 11 UConn men’s basketball squad (12-3, 4-0 BIG EAST) triumphed with a career-high 19 points from Hassan Diarra and a dynamic second half, defeating Providence (7-8, 1-3 BIG EAST) with a score of 87-84 on Sunday afternoon at Gampel Pavilion. This victory represented the first occasion UConn has recovered from a double-digit halftime deficit to win a conference matchup since 2017.

Connecticut has now secured eight consecutive victories overall, 28 straight at home, and 14 in a row at Gampel Pavilion. UConn is 4-0 in conference competition for the first time since starting the BIG EAST season with six straight in 2001-02.

The Huskies were behind 39-27 at halftime after a lackluster first half but rallied back to equalize with eight minutes remaining during a stunning 13-0 run that transformed a nine-point deficit into a four-point lead for the Huskies. Connecticut managed an impressive 72.7 percent shooting in the second half, extending their lead to double digits in the later minutes. Along with scoring 17 of his career and team-high 19 points in the second half, Diarra led all players with eight assists and three steals, logging 38 minutes in this outstanding performance.

Also contributing significantly for UConn was Solo Ball, who scored 16 points and connected on two 3-pointers, along with four rebounds and two assists. Aidan Mahaney had a stellar performance off the bench with 15 points on 4-of-5 shooting, while Alex Karaban powered his way to 13 points, four rebounds, four blocks, and three assists. The center duo of Samson Johnson and Tarris Reed Jr. each contributed 10 points for UConn, rounding out the six players in double figures. For PC, Jayden Pierre tallied 24, and Wesley Cardet added 18.

How it Unfolded

Both teams commenced strongly from the floor, with six early points from Johnson allocating the Huskies a 12-11 lead before the first media time-out five minutes in. A 3-pointer following the timeout awarded PC its first advantage, which they extended to four before a Mahaney triple narrowed it back to 18-17, prompting a PC timeout at 11:10 of the first half.

Karaban equalized at 20-20 with a 3-pointer after the timeout as the teams continued to exchange blows early on. In the latter stages of the first half, PC exploited a four-plus minute field goal drought from the Huskies, closing the half on a 13-3 run to lead by 12 at halftime.

Both teams continued to score in the initial moments of the second half, and the Huskies dug deep to close the gap to seven at 55-48 with a Diarra 3-pointer at 12:23. Midway through the half, Mahaney finished strongly amidst traffic as part of a 7-0 run that brought UConn back within a point, prompting a PC timeout at 9:08.

Reed Jr. converted a pair from the line following the timeout to continue the run and tie the game, then scored in traffic to give UConn its first lead since 22-20, making it 62-60 with 7:24 remaining. In total, it was a 13-0 run for the Huskies spanning over four minutes that flipped a 12-point halftime deficit completely.

The Huskies would restrict Providence without a field goal for over seven minutes from 12:13 on the clock until 5:04 left to play, extending the lead back to six points in the last five minutes. During that span, the Huskies held Providence to 0-of-7 shooting and forced four turnovers. With less than two minutes remaining, UConn increased their advantage to double digits for the first time when Mahaney nailed a 3-pointer at 1:58, making it 77-65.

The Friars closed within three in the final moments of regulation by prolonging the match through fouls, but they never got an opportunity to tie or take the lead in the closing moments, thanks to clutch late free throw shooting from Diarra and Mahaney.

Inside The Statistics

• UConn recorded a shooting percentage of 56.3 for the match (27-48) and connected at 46.2 percent from 3-point territory
  • The Huskies shot 16-of-22 from the field and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc in the second half, accumulating 60 points and committing three turnovers in the final 20

• On the other hand, Providence ended with a shooting percentage of 50.0 (30-60) and was 4-of-13 (30.8 percent) from 3-point range
  • The Friars built their double-digit halftime lead by shooting 17-30 (56.7 percent) in the first half but were limited to 13-of-30 (43.3 percent) in the second half, including an 8-of-24 (33.3 percent) performance prior to the last minute

• The Huskies distributed 16 assists on 27 field goals, including eight from Diarra
• UConn converted a +3 turnover margin into a 14-4 advantage in points generated from turnovers
• Mahaney netted 12 of his 15 points in the second half, while Reed Jr. amassed all 10 of his after the break
• The Connecticut bench outscored the Providence reserves 29-21
• UConn maintained a 7-4 lead in blocked shots and came into the matchup ranked first in the nation with 6.8 blocks per contest

Updates and Insights

• The Huskies improve their all-time record to 50-31 against Providence
• PC becomes the sixth opponent in history against whom UConn has achieved 50 victories, joining Maine (85-16), Boston College (55-35), New Hampshire (96-25), UMass (69-39), and Rhode Island (77-68). Among this group, only Rhody holds a better all-time winning percentage against the Huskies
• UConn’s 60-point second half was their first since Dec. 10, 2022, versus LIU
• Diarra’s career-high came from shooting 4-of-8 from the floor, 1-of-2 from 3-point range, and an impressive 10-of-11 from the free throw line
• The last time UConn won after trailing by double digits at halftime was on Nov. 29, 2017, against Columbia – the Huskies triumphed 77-73 after being down 41-30 at the half
• Connecticut’s most recent victory when trailing by 10 or more at the break in a conference match took place on Feb. 16, 2017, versus Memphis – UConn won 65-62 after being down 40-26 at intermission
• Johnson and Reed Jr. both reached double-figures for the second time this season

Next On The Agenda

The Huskies are scheduled to return to the court on Wednesday, Jan. 8 for a road match at Villanova.