DePaul came out of the gates hot with an early 10-4 lead at the under-16 timeout.
The Blue Demons outworked UConn basketball on both ends of the floor with persistent drives to the rim and strong rebounding. The lead grew to as much as 14 points for DePaul before the Huskies started fighting back in the later minutes of the first half to cut the lead to 8 points entering the break. DePaul’s Layden Blocker (averages 7.6ppg) led the game in scoring with 12 points at halftime.
While the first half ended with some boos from the home crowd, the second half opened with a loud U-C-O-N-N chant after a Solo Ball three cut the Blue Demon lead to just three points. DePaul held onto their lead for most of the second half as the Huskies continued to battle back.
Eventually, UConn basketball broke through on a scoring run fueled by two Solo Ball And-1 plays that not only completed the comeback but quickly extended their new lead to 7 points. The Huskies never looked back as they finished the game strong with an eleven-point win.
Back in the win column ✅@keybank pic.twitter.com/e0OGskrq0m
— UConn Men’s Basketball (@UConnMBB) January 30, 2025
UConn basketball couldn’t have been colder in the first half going 0 for 10 from three to open the game. They ended up finishing the half going 2-13 for just under 16% from deep.
The second half was another story as the Huskies went 5 for 9 from three including a classic “Jordan Hawkins” when Solo Ball converted a 4-point play.
Two of the second-half heroes for UConn basketball were Tarris Reed Jr. and Solo Ball. Tarris had 12 points and 5 rebounds, and Solo had 14 points and 2 blocks in the second half.
Dan Hurley on Tarris Reed Jr.’s performance, “He played like a real warrior, played with honor and it’s something he can be really proud of”. Going by +/-, Tarris Reed Jr. was the MVP of the night having +17 in just 24 minutes of action.
Against the Huskies, Layden Blocker was the best player on the court for the Blue Demons. He scored 18 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal against UConn basketball. He accomplished this while shooting 6-8 (75%) from the floor, 1-2 (50%) from downtown, and 5-8 (62.5%) from the charity strike.
His rebounds led DePaul on a night where they outrebounded their opponents 33-31. This is the second time this season that UConn basketball was outrebounded by the Blue Demons, the last time was a 34-32 difference.
Whenever DePaul basketball needed instant scoring, he was there to take over, or to help get someone else open by spreading the defense around.
These two guys won’t get as much credit for this win, but Jaylin Stewart and Aidan Mahaney deserve their props for the performances they had.
Jaylin Stewart finished the game with 15 points on 6-7 FG (3-4 3FG) and was a big part of keeping the Huskies alive in the first half and closing the gap in the second half.
Head Coach Dan Hurley said this about Jaylin Stewart (and Jayden Ross), “These guys are young developing players, Liam’s absence has exacerbated the pressure on them to produce more. Jaylin Stewart has flashed his talent for us and shown us what he’s capable of. It’s a consistency thing, it’s empowering him to be more assertive offensively and he was more assertive today.”
Aidan Mahaney finished the game with 10 points and 2 assists in 16 minutes of playtime. Mahaney is another player who has struggled to find consistency since transferring to UConn. Hopefully, having back-to-back games with double-digit scoring helps boost the guards’ confidence as the Huskies prepare for one of the hardest stretches of their schedule.
Throughout conference play, the Blue Demons have had leads going into the second half. In the end, they end up squandering them.
Tonight, against UConn basketball, DePaul had a 37-29 lead at the end of the first half. By the end of the game, the Blue Demons got outscored 43-21 in the second half by UConn basketball.
In their first conference matchup against Providence, DePaul basketball held a 30-27 lead at halftime. The Blue Demons lost the lead, being outscored 28-31 by the Friars, and only scored 5 points in overtime.
Against Seton Hall, DePaul had a dominating, 41-26 lead at the end of the first. That game also ended in an overtime defeat, as the Blue Demons were outscored 27-42 by the Pirates in the second, and then 12-17 in extras.
Head Coach Chris Holtmann on the growth of his team, “When you’re not always seeing the results it’s a real challenge to stay engaged. You have to micro success, pair it down to these micro-segments of games… try to expand on that”.
The Big East is one of the toughest conferences in the NCAA. Teams that only play well in one half don’t often finish their seasons with a positive record. This will be something the Blue Demons need to work on as the rest of the conference schedule begins to play out.
@ #9 Marquette (18-3, 9-1) — Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. CST (8 p.m. EST)
vs Seton Hall (6-15, 1-9) — Feb. 2 at 5 p.m. CST (6 p.m. EST)
