Huskies’ Thrilling Overtime Victory Over Butler: A Clash to Remember at XL

HARTFORD – The No. 19 UConn men’s basketball squad (14-5, 6-2 BIG EAST) achieved its 15^th consecutive win in Hartford with a thrilling 80-78 overtime triumph over Butler (8-11, 1-7 BIG EAST) on Tuesday evening at the XL Center. Solo Ball recorded a personal best of 23 points for the Huskies in this victory, including a decisive 3-pointer near the end of overtime.

The Huskies were ahead by eight at halftime after leading by as much as 15 in the first period, but that advantage evaporated as Butler rallied late to compel extra time. The Bulldogs claimed an early three-point edge during overtime, but an 8-0 surge featuring Ball’s crucial three-pointer put UConn ahead for good.

Ball also collected a career-equalling six rebounds and made five 3-pointers while clocking a career-high 41 minutes. Alex Karaban had a remarkable performance for Connecticut, transitioning from a game-time decision due to an ankle injury to playing the entire 40 minutes, contributing 19 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and three blocks. The Huskies received significant contributions from the center position, with Samson Johnson and Tarris Reed Jr. combining to score 28 points, grab 12 rebounds, and register six blocks along with three steals.

Butler restricted Hassan Diarra to just four points; however, the UConn point guard displayed versatility with leading team totals of nine assists, seven rebounds, and three steals. The Bulldogs saw Jahmyl Telfort lead all scorers with 25 points, while Finley Bizjack added 17, and Andre Screen tallied 13 points alongside nine rebounds in the loss.

How it Unfolded

The Huskies began the game with a 7-2 run, securing a pair of Johnson baskets and a Ball 3-pointer for an early advantage. Later in the quarter, a 7-0 burst, featuring a fierce Reed Jr. put-back and a Karaban block on a 3-pointer that led to a fast break layup by Ball , pushed the Huskies ahead 16-7 at the 14:25 mark of the first period.

UConn garnered eight consecutive points from Ball midway through the first, and a 3-pointer at 7:46 established a double-digit lead for the first time at 29-19. Moments later, back-to-back steals and points for the Huskies extended the margin to 35-22, prompting Butler to call a timeout with 5:09 remaining in the first.

A lengthy 9-0 run by the Bulldogs reduced the large 15-point lead to just six and led to a timeout for Connecticut in the final minute of the first half. Ball halted the run with two free throws in the dying seconds of the half, allowing UConn to take a 39-31 advantage into halftime behind his 15 first-half points.

The teams exchanged baskets early in the second half until a pair of Johnson free throws reestablished a double-digit lead at 54-44 with 12:46 left in regulation. Midway through the period, the Bulldogs managed to close the gap to within two possessions, but a frenetic finish by Jayden Ross and another three-pointer from Ball pushed the lead back to 63-54, triggering a Butler timeout at 6:57 with the XL Center buzzing.

The Bulldogs refused to back down, hitting a banked-in 3-pointer to narrow the margin to just one point at 64-63, which prompted a UConn timeout with 4:16 remaining. Following the timeout, a layup initiated a 7-0 run, granting BU its first lead of the game, albeit a short-lived one until a Diarra jumper with 3:00 left.

In the final two minutes, with UConn trailing by two, Karaban delivered a floater, and Johnson made a crucial block on the other end to give UConn the ball while the score sat at 68-68 and less than a minute to go. A Diarra offensive rebound and a foul drawn by Karaban extended the possession, but a go-ahead 3-point attempt fell short, pushing the game into overtime.

Butler started the extra period with the first three points before Karaban brought the Huskies back within one, then tied the game at 73 with a three-point play at 2:25 of overtime. Ball sank his fifth triple of the night at 1:39 to give UConn the lead and Johnson continued the run to 8-0 after an aggressive rebound and two made free throws, resulting in a score of 78-73 with less than a minute remaining. A Reed Jr. basket off a late scramble with 19.9 seconds left extended the advantage to four points, enabling the Huskies to secure the two-point victory.

Statistical Highlights

• UConn recorded a shooting percentage of 47.8 percent (32-67) from the field and 35.0 percent (7-20) from beyond the arc, while limiting Butler to 45.8 percent (27-59) and 26.3 percent (5-19) shooting marks
• Each team ended with 38 rebounds, both accumulating precisely 13 offensive and 25 defensive boards
  • Diarra, Karaban and Reed Jr. all tied for the team-high with seven rebounds
  • The seven rebounds for Diarra match his UConn career-high and are the most in any game since tying that figure on Nov. 14, 2021, against Texas A&M Corpus Christi

• The Huskies outscored their opponents 50-40 in points scored in the paint and had a 13-5 lead in transition points
• Connecticut distributed 20 assists on 32 field goals, with Diarra leading the way with seven assists
• UConn finished with a 9-3 advantage in blocked shots
  • Johnson led with four blocks, while Karaban contributed three and Reed Jr. added two

• Neither squad excelled from the free-throw line, but Butler had double the attempts, converting 67.9 percent (19-28) compared to the Huskies’ 64.3 percent (9-14)

Insights and Updates

• The Huskies enhance their all-time record against Butler to 11-0
• This victory marks UConn’s 15^th consecutive win at the XL Center
• Ball’s 20-point outing represents his third achievement of this kind this season, second among the Huskies, trailing Karaban’s five
• The overtime game was UConn’s third of the year (2-1) – the team had not played an extra time game for the previous two seasons
• UConn has now played its seventh game of the season decided by five points or fewer, improving to 5-2 in such matchups
• Karaban’s ’15-5-5′ performance was his second of the current season

Next Match

The Huskies are heading to Cincinnati to face off against Xavier on Saturday night at the Cintas Center.