The Huskies avoided a losing streak as junior Alex Karaban led the team to victory.
The UConn men’s basketball team made swift work of Georgetown on Saturday, handing the Hoyas a 68-60 loss to improve to 13-4 on the season.
UConn was coming off a rough loss at Villanova on Wednesday, letting the game slip out of its hands in the final seconds despite multiple opportunities to secure the win. They came out composed and confident in their second straight road game, distributing the ball well, finding open shots, and playing especially tight defense.
UConn recorded nine blocks and eight steals in one of their best defensive efforts of the season, holding the Hoyas to the lowest total a team has scored against UConn in conference play.
Junior forward Alex Karaban enjoyed a bounce-back night that included a team-high 19 points. He shot an efficient 7-10 from the field (4-6 from three), grabbed five boards, dished four assists, and had two blocks and a steal. Behind him, Solo Ball continued to shoot well, scoring 15 points.
The Hoyas kept the game close in the first half, even leading briefly in the game’s opening minutes. The Huskies started slow offensively, hitting on just two of their first eight shots, but a quick 10-0 run midway through the half put them in front.
With Hassan Diarra sitting with two early fouls, the Huskies got great minutes from guards Ahmad Nowell and Aidan Mahaney, who both looked much more aggressive putting the ball on the floor and driving to the rim for scoring chances.
To start the second half, the Huskies ripped off an 11-1 run that pushed their lead to 12. The lead grew to as much as 23 in the second half, though Georgetown would close in during garbage time.
Georgetown’s starting backcourt of Malik Mack and Jayden Epps combined to score just nine points on 4-15 shooting from the field. Epps was initially a game-time decision with an ankle injury and ended up playing 14 minutes. Instead, Curtis Williams Jr. and Micah Peavy shared the brunt of the scoring responsibility for the Hoyas. Williams, 15 points, and Peavy, 14 points, were the only two Hoyas to reach double-figures.
It was a productive night on the court for the Huskies, who grabbed a much-needed win after the Villanova disappointment and saw their star player get back on track with a standout performance from Karaban.
The Huskies are now 5-1 in conference play and 13-4 overall. They’ll next play a week from today when they welcome Creighton to Gampel Pavilion for a noon matchup.