University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
12-1,2-0Big East
DePaul
8-5,0-2Big East
UConn Rallies From Slow Start In Win At DePaul
12/21/2025 7:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball
CHICAGO – The No. 5 UConn men's basketball team (12-1, 2-0 BIG EAST) rebounded from a slow start to win its eighth-straight with a 72-54 victory over DePaul (8-5, 0-2) on Sunday at Wintrust Arena. Alex Karaban led all scorers with 21 points in the win as UConn erased an eight-point first half deficit to secure a comfortable double-digit win.
In support of Karaban atop the scoresheet, Tarris Reed Jr. notched a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds while adding three blocks. Silas Demary Jr. was the third Husky in double-figures and stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, a steal and two blocks.
UConn's eight-game winning streak matches its longest of last year and is tied for the second-longest since a 17-game streak spanning the end of '23-24 through the beginning of '24-25. The Huskies improve to 2-0 in BIG EAST play for the third time in four seasons and now have a 10-day break for the holidays.
How it Happened
DePaul took advantage of seven early UConn turnovers to score 14 points off miscues in the opening minutes, using a 7-0 run to go up 15-7 with a lay-in at 10:54 of the first. The Huskies answered emphatically, ripping off a 9-0 run over 90 seconds of game time and taking a 16-15 lead after five-straight points from Demary Jr.
Despite a cold shooting start and early turnover struggles the Huskies took a 33-30 lead to the break. UConn was led through the first 20 by 10 points from Karaban and a 7p-5r-6a first half line for Demary Jr. After recording seven turnovers in the first 8:50, the Huskies only coughed it up twice over the final 11:09 of the half.
Reed Jr. and Karaban keyed a 7-2 run for the Huskies to open the second half, opening up their largest lead with a 3-pointer at 17:46 to go ahead 40-32. Minues later a driving lay-in from Malachi Smith before a Jaylin Stewart put-back gave Connecticut its first double-digit lead at 44-34 and triggered a DePaul timeout with 14:28 to play.
A 10-2 run for Connecticut capped by a Braylon Mullins lay-in gave UConn the largest lead of the day for either side at 52-36 with 10:53 on the second half timer. DePaul got back within 10 thanks to an 8-2 run, pulling within 62-52 before calling its third timeout at 3:53.
After the stop, Mullins came up with a steal that led to a Reed Jr. bucket then drained a pair of 3-pointers to put the game on ice at 70-52 with 1:33 to play. In the game's final moments, Chciago-native Alec Millender hit a driving lay-in during the final minute to push the game to its concluding margin of 18.
Inside The Numbers
- UConn shot 47.4 percent (27-57) from the field and 33.3 percent (6-18) from three, holding DePaul to 36.4 (20-55) and 23.1 percent (3-13) marks
- In the second half UConn shot 55.6 percent (15-27) and held DePaul to 31.0 percent (9-29)
- Karaban and Reed Jr. combined to go 14-of-24 from the field, each going 7-of-12, while Karaban and Mullins combined to hit 5-of-10 from three
- The Huskies finished +12 on the glass, out-rebounding the Blue Demons 40-28
- Reed Jr. led all players with 11 rebounds, Demary Jr. grabbed seven, Karaban snared six and Jayden Ross added five
- Connecticut turned 11 offensive rebounds into a 12-6 advantage in second chance points
- UConn held a 38-20 edge in points in the paint and is out-scoring its last three opponents by an average of 17.3 points per game inside
- The Huskies finished with an 8-4 edge in blocked shots
News and Notes
- UConn is 22-1 all-time against DePaul and has won 21-straight in the series
- The Huskies are 2-0 in true road games this season
- Karaban scored 20+ for the third time this season and the 18th time in his career
- UConn trailed by eight (15-7) in the first half, tied for the largest deficit overcome in a win this season with 12/1 at Kansas
- Karaban broke a tie with Richard Hamilton (237) to move to sixth in UConn history in 3-pointers with a triple at 14:08, he now has 240 in his career and is two away from tying Chris Smith (242) for fifth all-time
- Reed Jr. recorded his second double-double of the season and the 12th of his career
- In two conference games Ross is averaging 9.5 points and 6.5 rebounds
- The Huskies were without top scorer Solo Ball, who had started UConn's last 47 contests prior to Sunday
Up Next
The Huskies have an extended before they return to action on New Year's Eve at Xavier.
