UConn dominates second half to rally past Villanova

Field Level Media|published: Tue 18th February, 21:22 2025

Feb 18, 2025; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies guard Hassan Diarra (10) drives the ball against Villanova Wildcats guard Jhamir Brickus (2) in the first half at XL Center. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images

Liam McNeeley scored 16 of his 20 points over the final 20 minutes of action as UConn erased a 14-point, second-half deficit and roared back for a 66-59 victory over Villanova on Tuesday night in Hartford, Conn.

After failing to close out Seton Hall on Saturday, the Huskies (18-8, 10-5 Big East) dominated the final 11 minutes of the second half by outscoring Villanova 27-6.

McNeeley scored 11 points during the game-ending run, hitting his only 3-pointer of the night and eight free throws to finish off his fourth career 20-point game.

Tarris Reed Jr. hit four layups and threw home a dunk as part of the game-ending surge and finished with 13 points and nine rebounds while keying a defensive effort that held Villanova star Eric Dixon to 3-of-13 shooting from the field. Solo Ball also totaled 13 points as the Huskies shot 45.1 percent overall and made eight of their final 16 shots.

Wooga Poplar scored 19 points for the Wildcats (15-12, 8-8), who were unable to complete a sweep of the two-game season series with UConn. Dixon added 17 points and Jordan Longino finished with 13 as Villanova missed 13 of its final 15 attempts from the floor and shot 35.2 percent overall.

Villanova took a trio of 10-point leads in the first 10 minutes of the game before going into the break up 34-26.

After UConn scored the first five points of the second half, Tyler Perkins hit a deep 3 and Jhamir Brickus converted a three-point play as part of an 8-0 spurt to push the Wildcats' lead to 42-31 with 16:51 left.

UConn sliced its deficit to 42-37 on a three-point play by McNeeley with 15:24 left, but Poplar scored 11 straight Villanova points and easily blew by McNeeley for a thunderous dunk that extended the Wildcats' lead to 53-39 with 11:58 to go.

The Huskies forged a 58-58 tie on an open layup by Reed right before the shot clock expired with 2:42 remaining. Two free throws by McNeeley gave UConn a 60-58 lead a minute later, and Reed followed with a dunk and a layup to help the Huskies secure the win.

--Field Level Media