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No. 5 UConn uses a dominant second half to beat Villanova 73-63

No. 5 UConn uses a dominant second half to beat Villanova 73-63 | iNFOnews.ca
Villanova's Acaden Lewis, left, drives to the basket against UConn's Silas Demary Jr., right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Alex Karaban scored 12 points, Tarris Reed Jr. added 11 and No. 5 UConn used a dominating second half to defeat Villanova 73-63 on Saturday night.

Braylon Mullins added 10 points for the Huskies (25-2, 15-2 Big East), who rebounded from Wednesday’s 91-84 home loss to unranked Creighton.

Tyler Perkins scored 15 points and Matt Hodge had 13 for Villanova (21-6, 12-4), which had won six in a row since losing 75-67 in overtime to UConn on Jan. 24 in the teams’ first meeting.

The teams were locked in a two-point game at the break after a competitive first half, but Villanova went without a field goal in the opening 5:25 of the second half. UConn took advantage with a 13-2 run after the intermission. And the Huskies continued from there. The lead reached as many as 21 points later in the half on a nifty spin move and finish by Reed.

The Wildcats, who are still in position to end a three-year NCAA Tournament drought under first-year coach Kevin Willard, struggled from long range the entire game. They finished 6 for 24 from beyond the arc.

UConn, the 2023 and ’24 national champs, are pushing for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and beating Villanova for the eighth time in the last nine meetings will help.

The Wildcats have four regular-season games left, and Willard almost certainly will pass Jack Kraft for the most wins by a first-year coach. Kraft went 21-7 in 1961–62.

Up next

UConn: Hosts St. John’s on Wednesday.

Villanova: Hosts Butler on Wednesday.

___

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No. 5 UConn uses a dominant second half to beat Villanova 73-63 | iNFOnews.ca
Villanova’s Tyler Perkins dunks during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against UConn, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
No. 5 UConn uses a dominant second half to beat Villanova 73-63 | iNFOnews.ca
Villanova’s Bryce Lindsay, left, goes up to shoot against UConn’s Braylon Mullins, center, and Tarris Reed Jr., right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
No. 5 UConn uses a dominant second half to beat Villanova 73-63 | iNFOnews.ca
UConn’s Jaylin Stewart, right, goes up for a dunk as Villanova’s Matt Hodge, left, looks on during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

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