STORRS – The No. 11 UConn men's basketball team (12-3, 4-0 BIG EAST) rode a career-high 19 points from Hassan Diarra and an explosive second half to an 87-84 win over Providence (7-8, 1-3 BIG EAST) on Sunday afternoon at Gampel Pavilion. It marked the first time UConn has overcome a double-digit halftime deficit to win a league game since 2017.

Connecticut how now won eight-straight games overall, 28-straight at home and 14-in-a-row at Gampel Pavilion. UConn is 4-0 in conference play for the first time since opening the BIG EAST slate with six-straight in 2001-02.

The Huskies trailed 39-27 at the break after a sub-standard first half but fought back and pulled level with eight minutes to play during a 13-0 run that flipped a nine-point deficit to a four-point Husky lead. Connecticut shot a blistering 72.7 percent in the second half and swelled their lead to double-digits in the closing minutes. In addition to scoring 17 of his career and team-high 19 points in the second half, Diarra led all players with eight assists and three steal and logged 38 minutes in the heroic effort.

Also atop the scoresheet for UConn was Solo Ball, who pumped in 16 points and hit a pair of 3-pointers along with four rebounds and two assists. Aidan Mahaney had a huge game off the bench with 15 points on 4-of-5 shooting, while Alex Karaban willed his way to 13 points, four rebounds, four blocks and three assists. The center tandem of Samson Johnson and Tarris Reed Jr. each posted 10 points for UConn to round out the six in double-figures. For PC, Jayden Pierre scored 24 and Wesley Cardet added 18.

How it Happened

Both sides started hot from the floor, with six early points from Johnson giving the Huskies a 12-11 advantage ahead of the first media stoppage five minutes in. A 3-pointer after the stop gave PC its first lead which it stretched to four before a Mahaney triple cut the edge back to 18-17 and forced a PC timeout at 11:10 of the first.

Karaban even the score at 20-20 with a 3-pointer after the timeout as the sides continued to trade early blows. In the latter stages of the first PC took advantage of a four-plus minute field goal drought from the Huskies and closed the half on a 13-3 run to go up 12 at the half.  

Both sides continued to score it in the opening minutes of the second, and the Huskies dug in and found their way back within seven at 55-48 with a Diarra 3-pointer at 12:23. Midway through the frame Mahaney finished tough in traffic as part of a 7-0 spurt that got UConn back within a bucket and forced a PC timeout at 9:08.

Reed Jr. hit a pair from the line after the stop to extend the run and pull the contest even, then connected in traffic to give UConn its first lead since 22-20 and make it 62-60 with 7:24 to go. Overall, it was a 13-0 run for the Huskies over more than four minutes that flipped a 12-point halftime deficit on its head.

The Huskies would hold Providence without a field goal for over seven minutes from 12:13 on the timer until 5:04 to play, pushing the lead to back to six inside of the final five minutes. During that stretch the Huskies held Providence 0-of-7 and forced four turnovers. With less than two to play UConn stretched the lead to double-digits for the first time when Mahaney drilled a 3-pointer at 1:58 to make it 77-65.

The Friars got back within three in the dying moments of regulation by extending the contest with the foul game, but never had a look to tie or go ahead in the final moments thanks to clutch late free throw shooting from Diarra and Mahaney.

Inside The Numbers

• UConn shot 56.3 percent for the game (27-48) and hit at a 46.2 percent clip from 3-point range (46.2 percent)
  • The Huskies were 16-of-22 from the field and 3-of-4 from three in the second half, scoring 60 points and turning it over three times in the final 20
• Conversely, Providence finished 50.0 percent (30-60) from the floor and 4-of-13 (30.8 percent) from 3-point range
  • The Friars built their double-digit halftime lead by shooting 17-30 (56.7 percent) in the first half , but were held to 13-of-30 (43.3 percent) in the second half including an 8-of-24 (33.3 percent) mark prior to the final minute
• The Huskies dished out 16 assists on 27 field goals, getting eight from Diarra
• UConn turned a +3 turnover margin into a 14-4 edge in points off turnovers
• Mahaney scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half, while Reed Jr. notched all 10 of his after intermission
• The Connecticut bench out-scored the Providenc reserves 29-21
• UConn held a 7-4 edge in blocked shots and entered the game first in America with 6.8 swats per game

News and Notes

• The Huskies improve to 50-31 all-time against Providence
• PC becomes the sixth all-time opponent that UConn has won 50 games against, joining Maine (85-16), Boston College (55-35), New Hampshire (96-25), UMass (69-39) and Rhode Island (77-68). Of that group, only Rhody has a better all-time winning percentage against the Huskies
• UConn's 60-point second half was its first since Dec. 10, 2022 vs. LIU
• Diarra's career-high came on 4-of-8 shooting from the floor, a 1-of-2 from 3-point range and a sterling 10-of-11 effort from the free throw line
• The time UConn won after being down double-figures at halftime was Nov. 29, 2017 vs Columbia – the Huskies won 77-73 after being down 41-30 at the half
• Connecticut's last win when trailing by 10 or more at the break in a league game was Feb. 16, 2017 vs. Memphis – UConn won 65-62 after trailing 40-26 at the break
• Johnson and Reed Jr. both scored in double-figures for the second time this season

Up Next

The Huskies are back in action on Wednesday, Jan. 8 for a road tilt at Villanova.