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Rapid Recap: UConn puts away Providence

Rapid Recap: UConn puts away Providence

Stephon Castle dropped 20 as the Huskies overcame a lot to capture the win.

Aman Kidwai
February 01, 2024

Photo: Ian Bethune

The UConn Huskies dealt with many issues and challenges but still came out on top as they hosted Providence at Gampel Pavilion Wednesday night, winning 74-65.

The Friars landed the first punch, getting Clingan to commit his second foul four minutes in. They promptly mounted a 10-2 run, forcing four Husky turnovers in the first eight minutes while committing none.

UConn also briefly had an injury scare as Alex Karaban went down after making an acrobatic lay-up. He went to the locker room with 10:33 left, and Husky fans held their breath until he checked back in with 4:37 remaining.

An aggressive Stephon Castle made sure UConn stayed in the game during Karaban’s absence, scoring five of the Huskies’ seven points in that span.

Karaban made an immediate impact upon his return, with a block on one end and a three to put UConn ahead late in the first half.

Despite many struggles, from behind the arc, the free-throw line, and on the boards, the Huskies were up 29-28 at halftime.

Castle picked up right where he left off out of the break. He scored 11 of UConn’s first 15 second-half points, hitting two threes and making numerous successful drives to the basket as the Huskies built a lead as big as eight points.

The freshman finished with an efficient 20 points, a career-high, along with five rebounds, and played excellent defense on PC’s Devin Carter.

The end of the second half became a free-throw derby, as both teams were in the double bonus with over seven minutes left in the game. Neither team did a great job of hitting its freebies, but the Huskies prevailed.

Next up, UConn (19-2, 9-1) heads to Madison Square Garden for its second regular-season meeting with St. John’s. Tip-off will be at noon on Saturday and the game will be televised on FOX.

The Johnnies are 13-8 after losing three in a row in Big East play before beating Villanova last week and losing at Xavier on Wednesday night. The Huskies won the first matchup 69-65 on Dec. 23 in their first game after Donovan Clingan’s injury.