University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
17-1,7-0Big East
Seton Hall
14-3,4-2Big East
No. 3 UConn Holds Off No. 25 Seton Hall In Newark
1/13/2026 11:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball
NEWARK, N.J. – The No. 3 UConn men's basketball team (17-1, 7-0 BIG EAST) won its 13th straight to improve to 7-0 in BIG EAST play for the first time since 1998-99, tipping No. 25 Seton Hall (14-3, 4-2 BIG EAST) by a score of 69-64 on Tuesday night at the Prudential Center. Tarris Reed Jr. led all players with 21 points and nine rebounds as the Huskies held off a late Pirate rally to top SHU in Newark for the first time with fans in the building since 2013.
The Huskies built a 13-point lead at halftime and went up as many as 18 in the second half, but the feisty Pirates used a second half push to pull as close as one within the final moments. A clutch Braylon Mullins block and game-sealing free throw shooting from Silas Demary Jr. and Alex Karaban allowed the Huskies to hang on.
Reed Jr. added three blocks to his 21 and nine day and finished 8-of-13 from the floor. Karaban scored 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting and grabbed five rebounds, while Mullins was the third Husky in double-figures with 11 points and chipped in three boards, two assists, three steals and two blocks. Demary Jr. finished with eight points, a game-high seven assists and a steal and Solo Ball recorded eight points and six rebounds. For the Pirates, Mike Williams scored 16 and Budd Clark notched 12.
How it Happened
The two squads played virtually even for the first 10 minutes with neither side able to build an early edge. A Karaban put-back dunk at 9:14 put the Huskies ahead before a Reed Jr. finish inside gave the Huskies a 17-15 lead ahead of a media timeout at 7:51 of the opening stanza.
Down by one later in the first, UConn ripped off a ferocious 14-0 run over four-plus minutes of game time to take the largest lead of the day for either side, going up 33-20 with a Ball lay-in at 2:31. Reed Jr. and Mullins combined for 10 points during the run. The Huskies would hold the Pirates without a field goal for the final 7:05 of the first and take a 35-22 lead to the break. Reed Jr. led all players with 12 points and five rebounds in the opening 20 and the Huskies were +9 on the glass in the frame.
At 17:20 of the second a Demary Jr. bucket put the Huskies up 42-24 for their largest lead of the day. At 12:39 a Karaban floater gave the Huskies a 51-34 edge before the Pirates rattled off a 10-2 run to pull back within single digits midway through the frame, as UConn's lead dwindled to 53-44 with 9:48 to play.
The Pirates pulled within six at 56-50 with 7:59 to play. A Mullins lay-in and a pair of free throws briefly pushed the Huskies lead back to 10, but the Pirates kept coming and were back within six at 62-56 before a media timeout with 3:12 remaining.
A 6-0 mini-run had Seton Hall within two before two Karaban free throws gave the Huskies a 64-60 lead with 1:50 on the timer. Inside of the final minute the Pirates hit their first 3-pointer on their 14th attempt, slimming the UConn lead to one before a Connecticut timeout with 47.3 to go. On the ensuing trip Demary Jr. drew contact and sunk a pair of free throws, putting UConn up 67-64 before a SHU timeout at 25.9 of the second.
On Seton Hall's possession after the stop, Mullins got a piece of a game-tying 3-pointer attempt from Williams and Demary Jr. snagged the rebound before sinking two more from the line with 10 seconds to play to put the win on ice.
Inside The Numbers
- The Huskies shot 51.0 percent from the floor (25-49) and held the Pirates to 41.4 percent (24-56)
- Neither team was able to find success from downtown, with UConn going 3-of-17 from deep and holding Seton Hall 1-of-16 (6.3 percent)
- UConn out-scored The Hall 42-34 in the paint and 10-2 in transition
- Connecticut dished out 14 assists on 25 field goals and limited Seton Hall to six helpers on 24 baskets
News and Notes
- UConn is 51-24 all-time against Seton Hall and 7-5 under Dan Hurley against his alma mater, snapping a streak of four-straight defeats in Newark
- Connecticut now has five Quad 1 wins and is 10-1 in Quad 1+2
- The Huskies improve to 5-1 this season against ranked opponents – since 2022-23 UConn is 28-11 against Top-25 foes and 22-8 against ranked opponents away from home
- UConn is 21-7 in true road games since 2023-24, most away wins in America in that span
- Reed Jr. recorded his fourth 20-point game this season and the eighth of his career
- With 13 points Karaban now has 1,604 in his career, moving past Earl Kelley (1,592) and Jeff Adrien (1,603) into 18th in program history
- Karaban now has 251 career 3-pointers, nine away from Shabazz Napier (260) for third in UConn history
- Through seven BIG EAST games, Demary Jr. is averaging a league-best 7.9 assists per game
- The 7-0 start to BIG EAST play is the third-best in UConn history, trailing only 1998-99 (11-0) and 1995-96 (14-0)
- Mullins has totaled 10 'stocks' in his last two contest, recording six steals and four blocks
Up Next
The Huskies are back on the road on Saturday afternoon to take on Georgetown for a 12 p.m. tip in Washington.
