No. 3 UConn Falls, 71-67, To No. 4 Arizona

STORRS – The No. 3 UConn males’s basketball staff (4-1) suffered its first setback of the season, dropping a 71-67 resolution to No. 4 Arizona on Wednesday evening at a sold-out Gampel Pavilion. It was the primary top-five showdown in Storrs since 2006. The loss snapped UConn’s 36-game dwelling non-conference profitable streak.

Playing shorthanded, the Huskies had been out-rebounded by 20 and went down as many as 13 within the second half. UConn managed to rally all the best way again and take of pair of leads within the closing three minutes however could not shut out what would have been a shocking comeback. Eric Reibe obtained his first begin for the reason that opener and had a career-high 15 factors for the Huskies, additionally pulling in 4 rebounds and blocking two pictures.  

Joining Reibe atop the scoresheet for UConn in double-figures had been Solo Ball with 14, Silas Demary Jr. with 13 and Jaylin Stewart who completed with 10. For Arizona, Jaden Bradley led all scorers with 21 factors together with a clutch late bucket, Koa Peat had 16 factors and 12 rebound and Motiejus Krivas grabbed 14 rebounds. Malachi Smith dished out a game-high eight assists in opposition to one turnover for the Huskies whereas Alex Karaban completed with eight factors, three rebounds and two blocks.

How it Happened

Arizona scored the sport’s first two baskets and would take a 14-8 lead at 13:33 of the primary half, the biggest early benefit for both facet. Ball answered with a private 7-0 run and gave UConn a 15-14 lead at 11:20 with a pull-up jumper. The Wildcats scored the following 5 to retake the lead earlier than Stewart drilled his first 3-pointer of the half to attract again inside one.

Neither facet took greater than a three-point lead over the following 9 minutes of recreation motion. A Reibe dunk at 4:44 and one other Stewart trifecta at 4:03 evened the rating once more at 29-all, one in all 5 ties to go together with eight lead adjustments within the first half. A driving lay-in from Demary Jr. within the closing seconds of the primary obtained Connecticut again inside two on the break, trailing 35-33 after the opening stanza. The Huskies managed to maintain it tight regardless of a chilly taking pictures begin, foul bother and a 25-13 edge on the glass for the Wildcats within the first 20.

The Wildcats began the second half sturdy and compelled a pair of early UConn timeouts, the second coming at 15:23 with UofA holding a 47-38 lead, the biggest of the day. Arizona would push its result in 13 when it went up 53-40 with 13:34 to play.

Undeterred, UConn went on a chronic 12-4 run over five-plus minutes of recreation motion and pulled inside 4 at 56-52 with a Ball jumper at 8:15. At 4:38 of the second, Karaban drilled a wing 3-pointer that lower the result in one at 58-57 and compelled a UofA timeout. On UConn’s subsequent journey, Reibe buried his second 3-pointer of the day to tie the sport at 60.

After one other cease, Stewart hit inside and UConn took its first lead since 22-21 and went up 62-60 with 3:02 to go. After a Wildcat bucket, Smith hit a pull-up with the shot clock expiring and Arizona blew for time with 2:03 to play and the Huskies up 64-62.

After forcing an preliminary cease, an offensive rebound and put-back gave Arizona a 65-64 lead with 1:12 left. After a cease of their very own, the Wildcats obtained a jumper from Bradley to go and took a three-point lead earlier than a UConn timeout with 13.3 ticks remaining. The Huskies obtained to the stripe on the following journey however couldn’t convert, and the Wildcats had been in a position to ice it on the line and survive a Demary Jr. 3-pointer within the waning moments.

Inside The Numbers

• UConn completed 25-of-56 (44.6 %) from the sphere and 8-of-25 (32.0 %) from 3-point vary, ending an uncharacteristic 9-of-18 (50.0) from the foul line
  • Conversely, Arizona posted a 46.3 % (25-54) mark from the ground, was 2-of-10 (20.0) from three and shot 76.0 % (19-25) from the road

• The Huskies recorded 15 assists on 25 baskets in opposition to solely 5 turnovers
• Arizona dominated within the paint, 42-24, and in second likelihood scoring (16-5)
• UConn turned a +5 turnover margin into an 8-7 edge in factors off miscues
• The Wildcats closing rebounding benefit was 43-23
• The contest featured 10 lead adjustments and 7 ties
• Reibe‘s career-high 15 factors got here on 6-of-10 taking pictures from the sphere and a 2-of-5 effort from 3-point vary – hitting his first two profession threes

News and Notes

• The Huskies at the moment are 5-3 all-time in opposition to Arizona
• The setback snapped UConn’s 36-straight dwelling non-conference video games relationship again to Nov. 2019
• The Huskies fall to 45-3 in dwelling non-conference video games beneath Dan Hurley
• UConn is 46-6 (.885) in all non-conference video games for the reason that begin of ’22-23
• With eight factors Karaban broke a tie with Emeka Okafor (1,426) for 23^rd place on the UConn all-time scoring checklist and handed Rashad Anderson (1,432) to maneuver into twenty second all-time with 1,434 profession factors
• Ball scored in double-figures for the 39^th time in his profession, Stewart for the 11^th time, Demary Jr. for the 46^th time and fourth as a Husky and Reibe for the second time

Up Next

The Huskies are again in Hartford on Sunday night to face Bryant at PeoplesBank Arena. Tip-off is ready for six p.m. on truTV.