Alex Karaban's big 2nd half sends UConn past Villanova

Field Level Media|published: Fri 14th March, 24:57 2025

NCAA Basketball: Big East Conference Tournament Quarterfinal - Connecticut vs Villanova

Mar 13, 2025; New York, NY, USA; Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley talks to the referee during the first half at Madison Square Garden. He was assed a technical foul during that timeout. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

NEW YORK -- Alex Karaban scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half and hit two clutch 3-pointers in the final six-plus minutes as third-seeded UConn pulled away for a 73-56 victory over sixth-seeded Villanova on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament.

The Huskies (23-9) won their fifth straight and will face second-seeded Creighton in the late semifinal Friday. Creighton survived a double-overtime finish to subdue DePaul 85-81.

Liam McNeeley added 12 points for two-time defending champion UConn, which ended on a 22-5 run over the final 7:31. Samson Johnson and Solo Ball contributed 11 points apiece as the Huskies shot 65 percent in the second half and 57.8 percent overall.

Villanova's Wooga Poplar tied a career high with 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting, but missed his final three shots. The Wildcats (19-14) shot just 20.8 percent (5-of-24) in the second half and 31.9 percent overall.

Jordan Longino added 10 points but Eric Dixon, who began the night scoring 23.5 points per game, shot just 2-of-15 and was held to eight points. The Wildcats went 1-for-10 in the final 7:58.

Karaban made 5-of-9 shots and hit four 3-pointers after making 12 of 26 shots from deep in the final five regular-season games.

Villanova ripped off 10 straight points and took a 17-8 lead on a trey by Poplar with about 11 1/2 minutes left.

UConn chipped away and forged a 31-31 tie on McNeeley's 3-pointer with 2:05 left, and Villanova led 36-31 at halftime when Poplar hit a turnaround jumper in the lane with two seconds left.

After Dixon was credited with a basket on a goaltending call and finished off a three-point play with 7:58 left, the Huskies scored seven straight points for a 58-51 lead. Karaban's capped the spurt with a trey from the top of the key with 6:18 remaining.

The Huskies continued to pull away and took a 63-54 lead with 3:42 left when Karaban sank an open 3-pointer from the left side before Tyler Perkins could defend. After Dixon missed from long distance, Johnson finished off a three-point play for a 12-point edge with 2:53 left.

A 3-pointer by Jaylin Stewart with 1:36 left finished off the rout.

--Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media