University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
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Boston College (Exh)
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Huskies Top BC in HOF Exhibition
10/13/2025 10:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – The No. 4 UConn men's basketball team used a decisive second half run to secure a 71-52 victory over Boston College on Monday night in the Hall of Fame Exhibition at Mohegan Sun Arena. Alex Karaban led the Huskies with 17 points and 11 rebounds in the triumph.
Connecticut turned in a stout defensive performance in the preseason victory, forcing 20 turnovers and holding BC to 31.9 percent shooting from the field. Joining Karaban atop the scoring column for the Huskies were Solo Ball and Braylon Mullins who each finished with 12 points. Malachi Smith led UConn's 20-assist effort with five dimes to go along with seven points, while Eric Reibe notched eight points and six rebounds. For the Eagles, Donald Hand Jr. led all players with 23 points and snared a team-high seven rebounds.
How it Happened
The Huskies were the aggressor from the jump, scoring the game's first basket and forcing six BC turnovers in the first six minutes of action. A second-chance 3-pointer from Smith at 14:35 of the first preceded a fast break Jaylin Stewart dunk, and a driving lay-in from Ball at 12:52 made it 12-6.
Back-to-back buckets from Karaban pushed the advantage to double-digits for the first and prompted a Boston College timeout with 8:39 to go in the first and UConn holding a 21-10 lead. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Ball and Karaban pushed the lead to its largest of the first half at 32-16 with 3:40 on the timer.
A late 9-0 spurt for BC slimmed the halftime deficit back within 10 and UConn took a 35-27 advantage to the break. Connecticut was able to build its edge despite an ice-cold shooting start, going 5-of-21 from 3-point range in the opening stanza.
The Eagles opened the second half on an 11-2 run to take their first lead of the day at 38-37 five minutes into the frame. At 11:59 of the second UConn retook the lead with a put-back lay-in from Dwayne Koroma before a Karaban 3-pointer ahead of a timeout at 11:24 with UConn up 44-40.
Those buckets were part of a 13-0 UConn run over four minutes of game time, flipping a three-point deficit to a 50-40 lead midway through the half. At 6:58 of the second stanza Reibe connected on a 3-point play to make it a 20-3 run and push the lead to 55-43. Karaban drilled a 3-pointer a minute later to give UConn its largest lead of the frame at 60-45 with 5:30 remaining. From there all that was left to decide was the final margin, which hit 19 after five-straight points from Mullins via a 3-pointer and dunk in the final minute of regulation.
Inside The Numbers
- The Huskies finished 26-of-69 (37.7 percent) from the floor and 8-of-34 (23.5 percent) from downtown, making up for the cold shooting by holding the Eagles to marks of 15-of-47 (31.9 percent) and 3-of-17 (17.6 percent).
- UConn was +14 in turnover margin, taking it away 20 times and only turning it over six
- The Huskies out-scored BC, 19-0, off turnovers in the first half
- Connecticut held a 27-2 advantage in points off miscues for the game
- The Huskies finished with 20 assists on 26 field goals and had 12 helpers on 14 makes in the first half
- Smith led the Huskies with five assists, while Karaban and Alec Millender each dished out four
- UConn stifled BC to only two total assists on 15 field goals
- Connecticut held a 36-20 edge in points in the paint and a 13-9 advantage in second chance points
News and Notes
- Karaban finished with a double-double and grabbed a would-be-career-high-tying 11 rebounds – he has two double-doubles in high
- Monday night saw the unofficial UConn debuts of Malachi Smith, Braylon Mullins, Eric Reibe, Dwayne Koroma, Alec Millender, Jacob Furphy, Rrezon Elezaj, Uroš Paunovic and Jacob Ross
- Ross and Koroma posted team-highs in plus/minus
- Ross scored four points, grabbed four rebounds, nabbed two steals and blocked a shot in 17 minutes of action to finish a +26
- Koroma made his presence felt with five rebounds, two assists and a steal and was a +19 in 12 minutes
- If it went into the official records, UConn would have improved to 56-35 against BC all-time and 29-3 against the Eagles since March 1988
Up Next
The Huskies have one more exhibition before lifting the lid on the 2025-26 regular season. UConn will take on Michigan State for a 7:30 p.m. showdown at PeoplesBank Arena on Oct. 28.
