UConn Men's Basketball

Rapid Recap: UConn holds on at Hinkle

By Serenity J. Bishop

December 21, 2024

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UConn men’s basketball jumped out to an early double-digit lead in their first Big East road game against the Butler Bulldogs on Saturday. The home team made it a contest, tying it up in the second half, but Dan Hurley’s squad came out on top 78-74 in Hinkle Fieldhouse.

UConn started the game with a 14-2 run thanks to Samson Johnson, who returned from a concussion, scoring six of the first eight points. The Huskies built a 16-point lead after cashing in five of their six first-half three-pointers and playing tough one-on-one defense. Alex Karaban forced Butler’s leading scorer Jahmyl Telfort into a 0-6 shooting start. Telfort didn’t score until 5:28 left in the first half.

Despite UConn’s impressive start, the Bulldogs climbed their way back into a one-possession game with just over two minutes left in the half. Telfort hit his second shot of the game on a crucial three-pointer to bring the score to 36-33.

However, UConn veterans Karaban and Hassan Diarra gave the Huskies some breathing room, extending the lead to 42-33 to go into the break.

The second half proved to be identical to the second half. UConn started it off well and climbed to a seemingly comfortable 14-point lead, but once again Butler pushed back. The Bulldogs scored nine unanswered and stayed within a close range throughout the rest of the half.

With 9:33 left, Butler brought the score to 61-55 largely due to a season-best performance from Andre Screen. The forward scored a season-high 17 points as Butler continued to battle down the stretch and even tied the game up at 63.

Liam McNeeley responded immediately with a three-point play to give the Huskies a three-point lead and then Karaban and Diarra took over to close the game. Karaban hit two crucial three-pointers while Diarra hit a floater with the shot clock expiring to claim the win. Diarra and McNeeley went 4-4 from the free-throw line to seal the victory.

UConn stretches its all-time record over Butler to 10-0 and claims its second Big East win of the season in the final game 2024. Next up, the Huskies are on the road on January 1 to face DePaul in Chicago. Tip-off will be at 2 p.m. ET and the game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.