Hartford, CT – UConn erased a 14-point deficit for the fourth time this season, closing on a dominant 27-6 run to defeat Villanova 66-59 on Tuesday night at the XL Center.
The win marked the Huskies’ 17th straight victory at their home arena.
Liam McNeeley led UConn (18-8, 10-5 BIG EAST) with 20 points and seven rebounds, scoring 16 after halftime and sinking key free throws late.
Tarris Reed Jr. added 13 points and a game-high nine boards off the bench, while Solo Ball chipped in 13 points and a career-best six assists.
Hassan Diarra stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, three rebounds, two assists, and a career-high three blocks while posting a game-best +17.
Villanova (15-12, 8-8 BIG EAST) controlled much of the night behind 19 points from Wooga Poplar and 17 from Eric Dixon.
The Wildcats led 53-39 with under 12 minutes left before UConn flipped the game.
The Huskies held Villanova to just two field goals over the final 11 minutes, forcing a six-minute scoring drought that set up a game-changing 10-0 UConn surge.
McNeeley’s free throws with 1:42 left gave the Huskies their first lead since 2-0. Reed Jr. followed with a dunk, and UConn iced the game at the line.
The Huskies shot 45.1% overall while holding Villanova to 35.2%, the lowest mark by a high-major opponent against UConn this season. The Huskies dominated the paint 38-16 and assisted on 17 of 23 field goals.
UConn, now 37-40 all-time against Villanova, has won six of the last eight in the series
Dan Hurley became just the second coach in BIG EAST history to win at least 10 conference games in each of his first five seasons.
