The Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., had been a house of horrors for the Huskies over the past few years.
For a stretch in the second half Tuesday night, the game between No. 3 UConn and No. 25 Seton Hall had air of eerie familiarity.
It was Feb. 15, 2025, when UConn held a seemingly safe five-point lead against Seton Hall with time ticking away, only to be caught in regulation and lose in overtime.
And on Tuesday in Newark, N.J., Seton Hall used its high-pressure defense to chip away at an 18-point deficit to trail by one with 47.3 seconds left following a Mike Williams III 3-pointer – before UConn held barely held on for a 69-64 victory.
UConn went the final 5:42 without a basket and relied on four Silas Demary Jr. free throws in the final 29 seconds to close the victory.
“I’ll say this about Seton Hall,” UConn coach Dan Hurley told TNT Sports after the game. “Anytime you coach against Shaheen Holloway, one of the best coaches in the game, your team better have the will to win. They play so hard.”
No. 3 UConn (17-1, 7-0) remains unbeaten in the Big East. No. 25 Seton Hall (14-3, 4-2) saw its home winning streak against the Huskies snapped at four.
Hurley and Holloway both are New Jersey natives who manned the point guard position at Seton Hall in the 1990s, with Hurley coming first and Holloway succeeding him.
Hurley knew going into the game that the Huskies needed to be prepared for a physical game against a team that excels at the full-court press.
The 'big' factor
Center Tarris Reed Jr. said in his postgame interview that the team was ready.
“We knew what we were coming into, knowing the game last year was the same scenario, that they're gonna pressure us,” Reed said. “So, we had to be smart offensively. And this season the defense has been our anchor, so we've been trusting and relying a lot on our defense, and it showed tonight.”
Reed finished with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting but was only 5-of-13 from the free-throw line. He added nine rebounds and three blocks.
Hurley had praise for his center postgame.
“When we’ve been championship-level contenders, we’ve had a dominant big,” Hurley said. “He's got a chance, since he’s healthy now, to be one of the best big guys in the country. He imposed his will on the game against a team that's incredibly physical and when we have championship success, we have All-American-level centers and he's got that ability.”
Senior Alex Karaban, who has two national championships but badly wanted a win in Newark, added 13 points and five rebounds. Freshman Braylon Mullins scored 11 points and had a partial block of a key Seton Hall shot in the waning seconds, with Demary leading with seven assists.
The Huskies shot 51% on the night but were just 3-of-17 shooting from 3-point range. UConn held the Pirates to 41.4% shooting and 1-of-16 from long distance. The only made 3-pointer came on Williams’ shot in the final minute.
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