Rapid Recap: UConn comes back to beat Villanova
NEW YORK CITY – UConn men’s basketball overcame a sluggish start and Wooga Poplar’s stellar performance to post a comeback win in the nightcap of the Big East Tournament quarterfinals, 73-56, at Madison Square Garden.
This game started slowly as the Huskies missed their first six three-point attempts and the Wildcats took an early lead – they were up by as much as nine near the midway point of the first half. Turnovers and free throws were helping Villanova’s cause, but UConn was getting enough from Samson Johnson, Solo Ball, and Tarris Reed Jr. to stay in it early.
Kyle Neptune’s squad stayed ahead most of the way in the first half, but UConn closed the gap. It was down to one with 2:45 left after a steal and score by Aidan Mahaney. The Huskies tied it with a McNeeley three on their next possession. Eric Dixon responded with a three to help Villanova take a 36-31 lead into the halftime break.
The second half saw more of the same early on, as some spurts of Husky offense were matched by Poplar as Dixon was held mostly in check. He had just five points at the half and finished with eight points, going 2-of-15 from the field.
After a Karaban block, Mahaney hit a layup to tie the game at 46 apiece with ten minutes left. A foul on the other end quickly put Villanova back ahead, but UConn was starting to gain control.
The Huskies pulled ahead in crunch time as McNeeley’s shots began to fall and Karaban caught a bit of fire. He finished 4-of-6 from three and led the victors with 18 points, nine boards, and six assists in 38 minutes.
Next up, the Huskies will take on Creighton in Friday evening’s semifinal finale, at 9 p.m. on FOX in Madison Square Garden.
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