CHICAGO – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – UConn and St. John’s extended their respective win streaks on Tuesday night, with victories over Xavier and DePaul, respectively. The two nationally ranked teams will play the first of their two regular season games this coming Friday at Madison Square Garden.
Tuesday, Feb. 3
UConn 92, Xavier 60 – Box Score
No. 3/3 UConn scored the first 10 points of the game at home against Xavier, setting the tone en route to their 18th consecutive victory. Five Huskies reached double figures – and seven had at least nine points – as UConn passed the 90-point mark for the third time in league play. Braylon Mullins scored six of his 13 points during the 10-0 start to the contest. The Huskies pushed the lead over 20 points midway through the opening frame, after a steal and transition bucket from Tarris Reed Jr. made it 29-8 with 10:05 to go. UConn led 50-22 at the break and extended its lead to as many as 38 over the final 20 minutes of play. Silas Demary Jr. led the Huskies with 17 points and eight assists, while Reed Jr. and Eric Reibe each tallied 14 points, combining to shoot 12-of-13 from the floor. Mullins scored all 13 of his points in the first half. For Xavier, All Wright tallied 14 points, while Malik Messina-Moore and Roddie Anderson III each scored 10 points.
Of Note:
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UConn’s 18-game single-season winning streak trails only a 19-game streak in 1998-99 and a 23-game run in 1995-96 for best in program history
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Over his last three games, UConn’s Tarris Reed Jr. has connected on 19-of-20 shots from the floor and is averaging 13.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.0 blocked shots in 21 minutes per game.
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Xavier’s Tre Carroll finished with nine points, ending an eight-game streak of scoring in double-digits. During that span, Carroll averaged 22.4 points per game.
St. John’s 68, DePaul 56 – Box Score
Zuby Ejiofor led No. 22/22 St. John’s with 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists, becoming the 54th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark, as the Red Storm extended their win streak to eight games last night at DePaul. After a back and forth opening 20 minutes that saw seven ties and six lead changes, the Red Storm outscored the Blue Demons, 39-28, in a strong second half. After DePaul’s CJ Gunn hit a 3-pointer to give his team a 35-34 lead with 17:34 remaining, SJU rattled off 12 straight and never trailed again. The Blue Demons got within six – 56-50 – with 3:36 to go but got no closer. Bryce Hopkins finished with 15 points and six rebounds, while Oziyah Sellers chipped in with 13 points, including three 3-pointers. DePaul was led by 13 points and five rebounds from Layden Blocker, while Brandon Maclin added seven points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench.
Of Note:
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The win improved St. John’s BIG EAST record to 10-1 for the second straight season. The Red Storm started 10-1 a season ago under head coach Rick Pitino
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It was also the Johnnies’ ninth consecutive road victory in BIG EAST play.
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DePaul’s Layden Blocker has scored in double-digits in seven straight game. During the span, the junior guard is averaging 13.3 points per game.
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Tonight’s Action: All three BIG EAST games on Wednesday will air on Peacock Network, via streaming. Seton Hall heads to Villanova for a 6:30 p.m. ET tipoff at Finneran Pavilion, followed by Butler taking on Providence at 7 p.m. ET. Creighton travels to Georgetown for a 7:30 p.m. ET tip.
Wednesday, Feb. 4
Peacock; NBC Sports Network
Seton Hall at Villanova – 6:30 p.m. ET
John Fanta (pxp); Tarik Turner (analyst)
Peacock
Butler at Providence – 7 p.m. ET
Mike Corey (pxp); Matt McCall (analyst)
Creighton at Georgetown – 7:30 p.m. ET
Paul Burmeister (pxp); Brendan Haywood (analyst)