STORRS – After a slow start, the UConn men’s basketball team sprinted into the new year with an 85-56 team rout of DePaul inside a packed Gampel Pavilion on Tuesday.
The fourth-ranked Huskies shook off their early offensive struggles, the game tied at two points apiece at the under-16 media timeout, and torched the Blue Demons behind four double-digit scorers and the team shooting 58.2% from the field and 46.2% from beyond the arc.
Cam Spencer reached the 20-point mark for the third time this year as he made 7 of his 11 shots from the field and four 3-pointers to go with six rebounds. Alex Karaban, the center of the small-ball lineup UConn has flashed with Donovan Clingan sidelined with a foot injury, stepped up with 17 points (7 of 9), 12 in the first half, along with seven rebounds, two assists and a pair of blocks.
“We had one of the hardest weeks this week just from the work that we put in, just always trying to lock in on how to get better, and I think everyone on the team was just super excited to get back out there and play,” Karaban said. “I think the (holiday) break helped us just reflect on what we need to do individually and as a team and then the practices, just having the excitement to get back out there.”
Stephon Castle, who repeatedly got the crowd to its feet with highlight plays, missed just one shot from the field and finished with 14 points, seven assists, four rebounds, a block and a steal. Off the bench, Hassan Diarra gave UConn life early and made three 3-pointers – the most he’s had in a game as a Husky – to add 14 points with five rebounds, five assists and a block.
“The strength of the team is the collective,” head coach Dan Hurley said.
UConn turned the ball over four times on its first five possessions and missed its first three shots from the field before Newton found Castle cutting to the basket for a layup.
DePaul took advantage of breakdowns in the UConn defense to take an 11-10 lead around the 10-minute mark in the first half, but freshman Solo Ball stepped up with a midrange jumper and followed that with a second-chance 3-pointer to give the Huskies a four point lead. Spencer added a layup, Karaban drove for a two-handed slam and Diarra converted a three-point play before tossing a lob to Castle from near the half court logo for a monster slam through contact.
STEPH THROWS DOWN THE AND-ONE‼️🤯 pic.twitter.com/O9xuOa4qhE
— UConn Men’s Basketball (@UConnMBB) January 3, 2024
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