Demary Jr., Karaban, Reed Jr. Each Score 21 As Huskies Hold Off Cougars In Boston
Boston, MA – The No. 3 UConn Huskies survived a furious second-half comeback from No. 7 BYU, holding on for an 86-84 victory in a top-10 thriller at the Amica Insurance Hall of Fame Series Boston on Saturday night at TD Garden.
UConn (4-0) built a 20-point lead early in the second half before BYU (3-1) clawed back to within a single possession in the final minutes. Junior guard Silas Demary Jr., senior forward Alex Karaban, and junior center Tarris Reed Jr. each scored 21 points to lead the Huskies, who shot 56.6 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from three-point range.
Demary Jr. was named MVP of the Hall of Fame Series Boston after delivering clutch baskets and free throws in the final three minutes, including a crucial steal with under 30 seconds remaining that helped seal the win. He finished with a game-high seven assists, five rebounds, and two steals.
“I wouldn’t say there was worry,” Demary Jr. said of BYU’s late surge. “I think we prepare the right way every single day, and we’re prepared just in general, just how we practice. So, I wouldn’t say there was worry. We just had to stay composed and just stay together and just battle through the adversity. And, you know, this adversity is going to help us out later in the season. But, it was a great learning experience.”
Karaban Shines In Homecoming, Reed Jr. Dominates Inside
Karaban, playing mere miles from his hometown of Southborough, Mass., was an efficient 8-of-11 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from three-point range. He added three rebounds, two blocks, and a steal in front of family and friends.
“I loved it,” Karaban said of playing at TD Garden. “I mean, I definitely had this game circled when I saw our whole schedule released and it was special. I mean, some of my favorite games in my UConn career were the Sweet 16, Elite 8 game two years ago when we played here. So, just being blessed to have the opportunity to come back here and play with another UConn squad was awesome. And I loved every second of it.”
Reed Jr. was 8-of-10 from the field with a game-high eight rebounds and two blocks. Reserve guard Jayden Ross provided a spark off the bench, scoring 10 points and hitting a pair of 3-pointers in 12 minutes.
For BYU, freshman phenom AJ Dybantsa rebounded from a quiet first half to lead all scorers with 25 points and snared a team-high six rebounds. Guard Robert Wright III added 16 points, while guard Richie Saunders contributed 17.
Huskies News:
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UConn Builds 20-Point Lead, BYU Battles Back
UConn opened the game on fire, using a 14-2 run midway through the first half to build a 26-12 lead at 8:51. Demary Jr. sparked the surge with a transition three-pointer, followed by a putback, a Reed Jr. bucket, and a Karaban three-point play.
Another Karaban triple ahead of the under-8 timeout gave the Huskies their largest lead of the first half at 29-14. UConn took a 43-32 advantage to the break, shooting 57.1 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from three-point range in the opening 20 minutes.
Reed Jr. opened the second half with back-to-back buckets to push the lead to 15. Minutes later, a Karaban deep three-pointer, followed by a Ross triple, prompted a BYU timeout at 16:10 with UConn up 55-39.
A Karaban three-pointer and Jaylin Stewart dunk extended the lead to 71-55 with 7:46 remaining, giving the Huskies their largest advantage of the night at 20 points.
Cougars Claw Back, Demary Jr. Delivers In Crunch Time
BYU refused to go away, using a 13-2 run fueled entirely by free throws to cut the lead to 73-68 with under five minutes to play. The Cougars’ press and physicality disrupted UConn’s rhythm, forcing turnovers and creating transition opportunities.
With UConn clinging to a five-point lead, Demary Jr. delivered a driving layup through traffic, followed by a pair of Solo Ball free throws to make it 79-70 with 3:13 remaining. At 1:29, Demary Jr. hit a tough mid-range jumper to give the Huskies an 81-74 cushion.
Up three with under 30 seconds left, Demary Jr. stepped to the line and calmly sank two free throws to make it 84-79 with 25.8 seconds remaining. BYU answered with a heaved three-pointer to cut the margin to two, but Demary Jr. came up with a steal on the ensuing possession.
“I’d probably say I knew they were trying to get A.J. the ball,” Demary Jr. said of the steal. “I think at the time I was guarding him, I’m like for a game, they got to go to him. Like, that’s that go-to guy, he’s hot. So, I just blew that up and then I saw Rob try to turn the corner. And like we taught in practice, we had to jump and swipe back to the gap. And that’s just what I did. And he ended up turning the ball over.”
Ball hit one of two free throws to put UConn up 86-82 with 6.1 seconds left. BYU connected on a jumper in the final seconds, but time expired before the Cougars could foul.
Physicality, Preparation Key To Victory
UConn’s physicality and defensive intensity set the tone early and proved crucial down the stretch. The Huskies held BYU to 0-of-10 from three-point range to start the game and finished with 21 assists on 30 field goals, compared to just seven assists on 29 field goals for the Cougars.
“I’d probably say we just got to be physical at all times,” Demary Jr. said. “I think if we can punk other teams from the beginning, like whether that be free throw blockout, loose balls, like just those identity plays we have as a team. I think just us playing with physicality, setting screens for each other, I think that sets the tone for the game.”
Reed Jr. echoed the sentiment, crediting the coaching staff for preparing the team for adversity.
“I got to piggyback off of what Silas said,” Reed Jr. said. “I mean, that’s the biggest thing. You know, coaches on us every day. Our practices are so intense. I mean, just coming into this game, we’re like, there’s no team in the country that practices the way we practice. I mean, we go to war every single day. So, walking into a game like this, we know what to expect. And, like I said, we got to be physical from the jump. I mean, that’s going to be the biggest thing for us this year.”
Inside The Numbers
- UConn shot 56.6 percent (30-53) from the field and 44.4 percent (8-18) from three-point range, while BYU shot 49.2 percent (29-59) overall and 30.8 percent (8-26) from downtown.
- The Huskies held BYU to a 0-of-10 start from three-point range before the Cougars connected at 1:05 of the first half.
- UConn out-assisted BYU 21-7, including a 13-3 advantage in the first half.
- Demary Jr. had seven assists against just one turnover.
- BYU held a slim 28-27 edge on the glass and was +2 in turnover margin.
- Points off turnovers went to UConn 16-15, paint points 42-40 to the Huskies, fast break 8-7 Connecticut, second chance points 16-10 BYU, and bench scoring favored BYU 22-13.
Karaban On Depth, Potential
Karaban, now in his fourth season with the Huskies, praised the team’s depth and championship potential.
“It’s amazing,” Karaban said. “I think one through fifteen, I believe we got the best roster in college basketball. And, just using the experiences that I’ve had just since my freshman year, it’s been amazing. So, I’m just trying to be more of a vocal leader and just continue to lead these guys the right way. And, I think this team’s potential is through the roof. We could reach all our goals if we just lock in every single day. And, today was a great starting point. We’re going to continue to learn from it and just build on it for our future games.”
What’s Next
UConn is now 2-0 all-time against BYU, with the lone prior meeting coming in the First Round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament. The Huskies are 9-1 in their last 10 contests between top-10 teams and 24-10 against ranked foes since the start of 2022-23, the most such wins and best winning percentage (among teams with at least 10 games) in that span.
With his 21 points on Saturday, Karaban now has 1,426 in his career, moving into a tie with Emeka Okafor for 23rd in UConn history. It was the 75th time in 115 career games that Karaban has scored in double figures.
The Huskies return to Gampel Pavilion on Wednesday, Nov. 19, to welcome No. 5 Arizona to Storrs for another top-10 showdown.
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