Newark, N.J. — Playing in front of a crowd of 9,699 at the Prudential Center, No. 3 UConn withstood a furious late rally from No. 25 Seton Hall on Tuesday night, escaping with a 69-64 victory to extend its winning streak to 13 games.
Tarris Reed Jr. led the Huskies with 21 points, and Silas Demary Jr. clinched the outcome by sinking four free throws in the final 29 seconds. UConn (17-1, 7-0 Big East) stayed perfect in conference play despite failing to make a field goal over the final 5:40.
UConn appeared firmly in control early in the second half, building an 18-point cushion after Alex Karaban knocked down a pair of free throws just over five minutes in. But Seton Hall responded with aggressive defense and steady pressure, igniting a comeback that electrified the home crowd.
The Pirates trimmed a 42-24 deficit with 17:20 remaining to just one point when Mike Williams III buried a 3-pointer with 47.3 seconds left — their first make from long range after 13 misses.
Demary answered with two free throws to give the Huskies a 67-64 lead, and after Williams’ potential tying 3 was blocked by freshman Braylon Mullins, Demary added two more foul shots with 11 seconds left to seal the win.
Seton Hall (14-3, 4-2) had won four straight home games against UConn and had erased double-digit second-half deficits in each of its previous three victories. That trend nearly continued.
Karaban finished with 13 points for UConn, while Mullins chipped in 11. Karaban made his 128th career start, tying him for second-most in program history, and moved into 18th on the Huskies’ all-time scoring list with 1,604 points.
Williams led Seton Hall with 16 points, followed by Adam Clark with 12 and Najai Hines with 10. The Pirates struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 1-for-16, and were making only their third AP Top 25 appearance since a No. 20 ranking nearly four years ago.
UConn took control late in the first half with an 18-3 run, holding Seton Hall scoreless from the field over the final 7:05 of the period. Reed had 12 points and five rebounds by halftime as the Huskies carried a 35-22 lead into the break.
Up next:
UConn travels to Georgetown on Saturday, while Seton Hall hosts Butler.
