CINCINNATI – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – UConn led wire-to-wire in a win at Xavier, Villanova used a second half rally to get past DePaul, and St. John’s set a new program standard for 3-point shooting at Georgetown.
Wednesday, Dec. 31
UConn 90, Xavier 67 – Box Score
Alex Karaban led all scorers with 19 points as UConn won its ninth straight game. The Huskies started strong out of the gate and led for the entire game. Xavier got within 13 points twice in the second half, but the Huskies maintained their advantage by shooting nearly 60 percent from the floor over the final 20 minutes. Karaban added seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. Solo Ball and Braylon Mullins each added 17 points, combining to make seven of UConn’s season-high 13 3-pointers on the night. For Xavier, Malik Messina-Moore scored a team-high 16 points while Filip Borovicanin added a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards.
Of Note
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Since the start of the 2023-24 season, the Huskies are 19-7 in true road games – tied for the most away wins among high major programs in that span
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UConn dished out 26 assists – tying for the BIG EAST lead with Xavier and Creighton for most games with at least 20 helpers so far this season
Villanova 71, DePaul 66 – Box Score
The Wildcats erased a 10-point second half deficit, using outscoring DePaul 31-16 over the final 11 minutes to move to 2-0 in BIG EAST play. A 9-0 run early in the first half for the Blue Demons gave them the lead the rest of the way, including a 32-28 edge at the break. DePaul would grow its lead to 50-40 with 11 minutes remaining before Villanova run kickstarted its comeback. A Tyler Perkins 3-pointer would tie it at 56-56 with six minutes and change left before a Devin Askew trifecta gave Nova the lead for good. Perkins and Bryce Lindsay each had 19 points for Villanova, combining for nine of Nova’s 10 made 3-pointers. DePaul was led by CJ Gunn’s 15 points and seven rebounds, while Layden Blocker added 13.
Of Note
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Villanova is 11-2 through its first 13 games – the best start to a season for the Wildcats since the 2020-21 season.
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Perkins registered his fourth game with at least five 3-pointers this season – most among all BIG EAST players
St. John’s 95, Georgetown 83 – Box Score
The Red Storm’s long-range shooting set the tone in their win at Georgetown. The first three field goals for the Johnnies all came from beyond the arc as they took an 11-9 lead less than four minutes in. But a 9-0 run by the Hoyas allowed them to retake the lead in a back and forth first half that featured four ties and seven lead changes. SJU held a 52-47 advantage at the break and led the rest of the way. Zuby Ejiofor posted one of his most complete stat lines of the season, finishing with 25 points, 10 rebounds, a career-best seven assists, and two steals. Oziyah Sellers added 16 points and Ian Jackson 14 in the win. The Hoyas’ KJ Lewis led all scorers with 27, while Malik Mack added 18 points and eight assists.
Of Note
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The Red Storm set a new program record for 3-pointers in a BIG EAST game, with 15, tying the previous record set against DePaul on Feb. 6, 2024
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Ejiofor is the only high-major player to post a stat line of at least 25 points/10 rebounds/7 assists/2 steals/1 block in a game in 2025-26
There are no BIG EAST games on Jan. 1 and 2