INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Solo Ball scored 24 points and Tarris Reed Jr. finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists Wednesday night as No. 6 UConn held off Butler for an 80-70 victory.
Ball was 6 of 12 from 3-point range while Huskies guard Braylon Mullins scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half as Indiana's reigning Mr. Basketball returned to his home state for the first time as a college player. UConn (23-2, 13-1 Big East) rebounded from Friday night's loss at St. John's and moved a half-game ahead of the Red Storm atop the conference standings.
Butler was led by Drayton Jones with 15 points. Yohan Traore added 14 as the Bulldogs (13-12, 4-10) lost their fifth in a row.
It was an uncharacteristic game for coach Dan Hurley's UConn squad.
Alex Karaban spent most of the first half on the bench after drawing two fouls in the first 7 1/2 minutes and finished with six points and five rebounds.
Karaban's teammates had their own foul trouble in the second half as Butler played almost the final 9 1/2 minutes in the bonus. As a result, each time the Huskies looked as though they might take control, the Bulldogs answered — until UConn's final flurry.
UConn used a 7-0 spurt early in the second half to expand a three-point halftime lead to 51-43. And yet Butler was still within 64-62 when Michael Ajayi made a mid-range jumper with 6:49 left.
Then the Huskies finally delivered the knockout punch — a 10-0 run that included 3s from Ball and Silas Demary Jr. as well as a layup from Karaban to make it 74-62 with 4:32 to go.
Butler never recovered.
Hurley improved to 12-0 against the Bulldogs since taking the UConn job, and the Huskies moved to 6-0 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Up next
UConn hosts Georgetown on Saturday.
Butler hosts Seton Hall on Sunday.
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