No. 5 UConn grapples with pesky DePaul, pulls away in second half

Alex Karaban scored 11 of his season-high-matching 21 points in the second half, helping No. 5 UConn to a 72-54 win over DePaul in its first Big East road game of the season on Sunday afternoon in Chicago.

Karaban was 7-of-12 from the field, made three 3-pointers and added six rebounds. Tarris Reed Jr. (14 points, 11 rebounds) and Silas Demary Jr. (13 points, eight assists) also scored in double figures for the Huskies (12-1, 2-0 Big East), who played without leading scorer Solo Ball due to a wrist injury.

UConn's halftime lead was just 33-30, as DePaul (8-5, 0-2) used 16 points off nine first-half turnovers to stay in the game. The Huskies dominated for much of the second half, shooting 55.6% from the floor while outscoring the hosts 39-24 after the break.

Layden Blocker had 11 points and Kruz McClure 10 to pace the Blue Demons, who had leading scorer CJ Gunn and Brandon Maclin (eight points apiece) foul out in the second half.

DePaul used a 12-3 run to take its largest lead early in the first half at 15-7. Maclin made three straight steals, setting up Blocker for a 3-pointer and turning the latter two into transition layups.

Demary's 3-ball helped the Huskies forge a 9-0 run to pull back ahead 16-15 with 8:34 left.

The rest of the half was tightly contested. Neither team led by more than a basket until Jayden Ross and Reed hit consecutive shots to put UConn ahead 26-22, but an RJ Smith jumper finished DePaul's quick 4-0 response to even the score.

Karaban canned a three from the wing during UConn's 7-2 run in the final minute. Blocker's buzzer-beating floater brought the Blue Demons within 33-30 at intermission.

UConn sank its first three shots after halftime. Reed finished inside before setting up Karaban for a layup and a 3-pointer.

DePaul's first four second-half points belonged to N.J. Benson, but after a slam made it 40-34, the Huskies rolled to a 12-2 run before the halfway mark of the period. A pair of 6-0 segments separated by a single Blocker bucket over nearly five minutes.

Karaban sank a jumper during the first of the Huskies' 6-0 runs, while Demary found an open Jayden Ross for an emphatic flush to highlight the latter.

The Blue Demons used an 8-2 run to claw back within 60-48 with 4:47 left before Blocker's layup about a minute later made it a 10-point game.

Braylon Mullins banged down a pair of threes within less than a minute's span to highlight a 10-2 run to finish the game.

--Field Level Media