National Basketball Association
Connecticut 80, Georgetown 67
When: 12:00 PM ET, Sunday, January 14, 2024
Where: XL Center, Hartford, Connecticut
Officials:
# Lamar Simpson, # Evon Burroughs, # Tim Clougherty
Attendance:
15684
By Field Level Media
Alex Karaban and Cam Spencer fueled a 3-point barrage that propelled No. 4 UConn past visiting Georgetown 80-67 on Sunday in Hartford, Conn.
Karaban shot 6 of 8 from deep and matched his season-high with 26 points, while Spencer drilled five of his seven triples and tallied 20 points for the Huskies (15-2, 5-1 Big East). Stephon Castle chipped in 14 points and went 9 of 12 from the free-throw line.
UConn tied its season-high with 13 3-pointers on 24 attempts (54.2 percent) and shot 51.1 overall from the field to improve to 9-0 at home this season.
Supreme Cook paired 18 points with 13 rebounds to lead the Hoyas (8-9, 1-5) before fouling out with 6:23 remaining. Jay Heath fouled out with 3:30 to play, finishing with 13 points, and Jayden Epps tallied 16.
Georgetown shot 34 percent from the field, made four of 16 3-pointers and converted 29 of 38 free throws (76.3 percent).
The Hoyas trailed 52-46 with 13:23 left after scoring six straight points before the Huskies manufactured a quick 7-2 run to remain in control.
Jaylin Stewart's dunk bumped UConn back up by 11 at the 10:35 mark, and Karaban later drilled his final 3-pointer to match the Huskies' largest lead of the day at 74-61 with 3:43 to play.
Georgetown never pulled closer than 11 points the rest of the way.
Aggressive defense from both teams produced a gritty first half filled with long possessions and contested shots.
The Hoyas pounded the ball inside but struggled to convert from close range, instead relying on their 16-of-22 mark at the free-throw line. UConn pushed the pace when it could, outscoring Georgetown 11-0 in fastbreak points, and created space on the outside to drill seven 3-pointers on 11 attempts.
The Hoyas' offense was dormant aside from Cook, who scored 16 points and made eight of 11 free throws in the opening period. Cook went 4-for-4 in from the field in the first half, while the rest of the team shot 3-of-20 (15 percent).
Karaban's 19 first-half points led UConn's more efficient attack, which finished 52.4 percent from the floor. Karaban drilled five triples, including a trey from the top of the key that surged the Huskies ahead 32-22 with 3:32 left before halftime.
Tristen Newton's and-one gave UConn its largest lead of the half at 36-22 before Karaban added another 3-pointer to help the Huskies carry a 40-31 advantage into the break.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
Georgetown |
|
Connecticut |
Supreme Cook 18 |
Scoring |
Alex Karaban 26 |
Supreme Cook 1 |
Assists |
Tristen Newton 8 |
Supreme Cook 13 |
Rebounds |
Tristen Newton 7 |
Supreme Cook 8 |
Free Throws Made |
Stephon Castle 9 |
Jayden Epps 3 |
Steals |
Tristen Newton 2 |
Wayne Bristol Jr. 1 |
Blocks |
Hassan Diarra 1 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Georgetown
|
67 |
34.0 |
4-16 |
29-38 |
4 |
27 |
5 |
5 |
8 |
Connecticut
|
80 |
51.1 |
13-24 |
19-25 |
18 |
28 |
4 |
5 |
12 |