Braylon Mullins’ breakout performance lifts No. 5 UConn over No. 21 Kansas 61-56 at Allen Fieldhouse

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — UConn fans had been eagerly anticipating the day Braylon Mullins could truly step onto the court for them.

The five-star freshman rewarded their patience when the Huskies needed it most.

Mullins hit a trio of 3-pointers and scored 17 points, blocked a layup by Kansas guard Jamari McDowell in the closing seconds, then sealed fifth-ranked UConn’s 61-56 win over the No. 21 Jayhawks with a pair of clutch free throws Tuesday night.

It was a breakout performance for Mullins, who had been dealing with an ankle injury for most of the season. He had scored just two points while playing a total of 10 minutes in his debut last week, a 74-61 victory over then-No. 13 Illinois at Madison Square Garden.

“There’s been a lot of impressive freshman performances. Obviously this is an impressive freshman class,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “But the injuries he’s had, and his second college game — he put us in position to win this game.

“Obviously this was the first step for him,” Hurley added, “and he’s going to make our team better moving forward.”

Hard to imagine that. The Huskies (7-1) already have three wins over ranked opponents this season, and their victory in one of the toughest venues in college basketball came without big man Tarris Reed Jr., who has been dealing with an ankle injury of his own.

Mullins didn’t have to do it alone. Solo Ball scored 17 points, keying the comeback from a seven-point deficit in the second half. Eric Reibe added 12 while helping UConn dominate the boards late. And veteran Alex Karaban scored 11 points while wiping away the bitter memories he had of a loss inside Allen Fieldhouse nearly two years ago to the day.

“Having played here before, I kind of knew what to expect,” Karaban said. “This is the hardest place I’ve ever played in my college career. I knew that going in, and I was mentally prepared for that.”

Mullins had some idea what to expect, too. The guard from Greenfield, Indiana, was heavily recruited by Kansas, and Mullins even had the Jayhawks — along with UConn and several other big-name programs — on his pared-down list of a final 10 suitors.

“Everybody knows he can shoot. I thought he looked athletic,” said Jayhawks coach Bill Self, who was missing his own star freshman, Darryn Peterson, for the seventh straight game because of a lingering hamstring injury. “I thought he played with bounce. He backed us down one time and I don’t know who he shot it over — I think he shot it over 6-10, and it didn’t affect him.”

Mullins was a bit slow off the bench, missing his first 3-point attempt. But he came right back and drilled one two possessions later, then added another later in the first half, before pouring on the offense as the Huskies rallied over the final 20 minutes.

It was a night Mullins will never forget. And one that portends big things for UConn going forward.

“The first four minutes I was in, the nerves were going, just to get my feet wet a little bit,” he admitted, “but as the game went along, just play basketball. At the end of the day, it’s a child’s game. We got some stuff done and got the win.”

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