STORRS – UConn’s “Big Three” of Alex Karaban, Solo Ball and Tarris Reed Jr. combined for 62 points as the third-ranked Huskies took down Columbia, 89-62, at Gampel Pavilion Monday night.
Ball led the way with 23 points, three assists and two steals, Karaban got to 20 points for the 16th time in his career, adding six rebounds, and Reed went for 19 points and eight rebounds in 25 minutes. The whole operation was held together by Silas Demary Jr., who dished a career-high nine assists and gathered six rebounds.
UConn got off to a slow start offensively, making just one of its first six shots while Columbia found success from beyond the arc. The Huskies settled in on defense, creating deflections (while only fouling twice in the first half) and dominating the boards with Demary flying in to ensure that every loose ball wound up with the home team. The point guard got out quickly in transition and assisted on three-consecutive buckets to get UConn going after a 1-for-6 start.
Jayden Ross, on the receiving end of a few Demary assists, made an emphatic entrance as he swatted a layup attempt into the crowd and made three 3-pointers during a 30-6 run that broke the game open.
How to watch UConn men’s basketball in ‘Super Bowl’ versus Columbia
Karaban, who landed on his face after a breakaway dunk on Friday night, got redemption after stealing the ball in the backcourt and flushing a one-handed slam to make it a 24-point lead. UConn’s “big three” scored the team’s last 14 points of the half as Ball knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and Reed finished strong inside to take a 50-27 lead into the break.
The Huskies seemed to have let their foot off the gas a bit to start the second half as they were outrebounded, 12-7, and outscored, 15-14, in the first 10 minutes after the break.
Columbia freshman guard Miles Franklin dunked over Demary in transition and hit a tough, fadeaway mid-range jumper to bring the Lions to within 19 points around the eight-minute mark.
After seven total fouls were called and five free throws were attempted in the first half, there were 31 combined fouls and 44 free throws as the game hit a lull in the second. Columbia shot 15-for-20 (75%) from the stripe and UConn went 19-for-29 (65.5%).
Dan Hurley’s team came through with the victory Monday after he called the game UConn’s ‘Super Bowl’ in the lead-up to it.
“Columbia beat New Haven better than we beat them,” Hurley said. “So, as far as I’m concerned, Columbia is the Super Bowl for us on Monday night. We’ve got to raise our level of intensity going into that game. I mean, we’ve got to be like a pack of hungry wolves in that one. And you’ve got to be able to sustain 40-minute efforts to beat teams like Columbia, and I know we’ve got a big game after that coming up.”
The Huskies will return to action in Boston on Saturday to host No. 7 BYU at TD Garden, then welcome No. 5 Arizona into Gampel Pavilion four days later.
