UConn Men's Basketball

Rapid Recap: UConn comes back to beat Providence

By Aman Kidwai

January 5, 2025

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STORRS – The UConn Huskies overcame a 12-point halftime deficit to keep their home winning streak going and defeat Providence at Gampel Pavilion, 87-84. They picked up their defense in the second half and scored 60 points as Hassan Diarra scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half.

The two teams played tight through the game’s first 15 minutes, though the Huskies stayed ahead most of the way. Samson Johnson got two dunks in early and Solo Ball got a couple of nice lay-ups in as it was 12-11 five minutes into the game. Alex Karaban hit an early three but was quiet for the rest of the half.

Providence pulled ahead late in the first half. The Huskies were missing shots and turning the ball over more as the lead that grew to eight for the visitors got even bigger. Down 30-24, Ball hit a three as the shot clock expired to cut the lead down to three but the Friars got a trey of their own on the other end. They were answering everything the Huskies had and seemingly scoring at will with a lot of different guys getting involved.

The first half saw four ties and three lead changes before PC peeled off a 9-0 run at the end of the half to take a 39-27 lead into the break. Jayden Pierre had 10 at the half while Ryan Mela and Wesley Cardet each added eight for the visitors, who were out-shooting UConn 57% to 42% after 20 minutes. Pierre finished with 24 on the day and Cardet had 18.

The second half started with more of the same, as the Friars’ lead grew to 14. They stayed in control for a while, until turnovers and better shooting from UConn turned the game around. Down nine, the Huskies hit five free throws before an Aidan Mahaney layup cut the lead to two. Two Tarris Reed Jr. free throws tied the game and the Husky run continued until the home team was on top, 68-62, after an absurd Diarra turnaround jumper.

The Husky defense keyed the win down the stretch as stops led to easy buckets and free throws on the other end. Reed only played six minutes in the first half, with zero points, but finished with 10 points and five rebounds on the day. Diarra notched a team-high in scoring and assists (8) to lead six Huskies in double figures. Aidan Mahaney stepped up in a big way with 15 points on 4-of-5 shooting. Ball added 16 points going 2-of-4 from three.

Next up, UConn hits the road for games against Villanova and Georgetown before a week off. They’ll be at Finneran Pavilion on Villanova’s campus for a Wednesday night game, tipping off at 6:30 p.m. on FS1, before heading down to the district on Saturday to play the Hoyas.