University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
8-1,0-0Big East
East Texas A&M
4-4,0-0Southland
#5 UConn Tops East Texas A&M On Friday Night
12/5/2025 11:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
STORRS – The UConn men's basketball team (8-1) won its fourth-straight with an 83-59 victory over East Texas A&M (4-4) on Friday night at a sold-out Gampel Pavilion. The triumph came in UConn's penultimate home non-conference game and marked its final non-league tilt of the year in Gampel.
Solo Ball led four Huskies in double-figures with 14 points as Connecticut shot 52.3 percent from the floor, including a white-hot 61.3 percent in the second half. Eric Reibe continued his strong form in another spot start and recorded 13 points. six rebounds and three blocks, while Alex Karaban finished with 12 points and six boards. Braylon Mullins was the fourth in double-figures with 10 points in 16 minutes off the bench, while Jaylin Stewart (9p-7r-2a) and Silas Demary Jr. (8p-5r-5a) turned in solid all-around games.
How it Happened
With the score tied at 8-all early, Reibe scored back-to-back buckets that sparked a 9-0 run that gave UConn a lead it would not relent the rest of the way. Jayden Ross hit a 3-pointer that gave the Huskies a 20-11 lead at 11:07, their largest advantage of the early going.
The Huskies took their first double-digit lead at 7:37 of the first, when a Demary Jr. steal led to a thunderous one-hand Ball flush that made it 26-15. The Lions got as close as seven in the final minute of the first half, but a Karaban tip-in as time expired in the opening stanza gave the Huskies a 38-27 lead at the break.
Early in the second half, the Huskies rattled off a 7-0 run capped with a Ball lay-in at 16:38 that made it 45-29 for UConn's largest lead of the night. The Lions followed with back-to-back 3-pointers to pull back within 10 at 47-37. At 13:27, Demary Jr. found Karaban inside for an easy two that triggered an ETAMU timeout with the Huskies holding a 51-37 lead.
The bucket was part of a prolonged 17-3 burst which gave the Huskies a 64-40 lead with 8:59 to play, going up 24 with a Mullins 3-pointer during a run of seven-straight points from the freshman to cap the run. The Huskies did not allow the Lions within 20 the rest of the way.
Inside The Numbers
- UConn finished 34-of-65 (52.3 percent) from the floor despite a 4-of-16 effort from three
- In the second half, UConn was 19-of-31 (61.3 percent)
- Conversely, the Huskies held ETAMU to 38.9 percent (21-54) from the floor and 33.3 percent (8-24) from downtown
- UConn held a staggering 58-22 edge in points in the paint
- The Huskies were +7 in turnover margin and out-scored the Lions 18-5 off miscues
- Connecticut out-rebounded ETAMU 39-27 and turned 12 offensive rebounds into a 12-4 advantage in second chance points
- UConn finished with 17 assists on 34 field goals against six turnovers
- Steals went 6-2 in favor of the Huskies, with UConn getting a game-high three from Demary Jr.
News and Notes
- UConn moves to 2-0 all-time against East Texas A&M
- The Huskies are 78-18 in non-league games under Dan Hurley and 50-6 against non-conference foes since the start of 2022-23
- Hurley is 55-9 at Gampel Pavilion and 98-18 overall at home in his UConn tenure
- UConn has sold out 27-straight games at Gampel, a streak that began on Dec. 1, 2022
- The Huskies are 111-11 all-time against non-league foes at Gampel
- Over his last five games, which has included four spot starts, Reibe is averaging 12.8 points and 6.2 rebounds while shooting 58.7 percent from the field
- In Karaban's career UConn holds an overall record of 100-23
- Karaban finished with 12 points and now has 1,474 in his career, two shy of Kevin Freeman (1,476) for 21st place on UConn's all-time ledger
- Malachi Smith dished out two assists and is 10 away from 500 in his career
Up Next
The Huskies are in Manhattan on Tuesday night to take on No. 15 Florida in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden. Tip is called for 9 p.m. on ESPN.
