University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
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Michigan State (Exh)
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#4 UConn Leads Wire To Wire In Exhibition vs. #22 MSU
10/28/2025 11:32:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HARTFORD – The No. 4 UConn men's basketball team led wire-to-wire and topped No. 22 Michigan State by a score of 76-69 on Tuesday night in exhibition action at PeoplesBank Arena. Alex Karaban and Solo Ball tied for the game high with 18 points apiece in a contest UConn led by as many as 19 in the second half. The result concludes UConn's preseason slate with a perfect 2-0 mark.
The Huskies opened an 11-point halftime lead and kept the advantage at double-digits for much of the second half. The contest saw a total of 56 fouls called and 74 free throws attempted as both sides struggled to maintain consistent rhythm.
Jayden Ross was the third Husky in double-figures with 13 points in 22 minutes off the bench while Silas Demary Jr. chipped in nine points, three assists and three rebounds in his unofficial UConn debut. For the Spartans, Jaxon Kohler (10p-12r) and Carson Cooper (12p-10r) both posted double-doubles and Jeremy Fears Jr. scored a team-high 14 points.
How it Happened
The Huskies got off to a fast start, jumping out to an 8-1 lead thanks to a pair of Demary Jr. 3-pointers. Six-straight from Ball by way of a 3-pointer and old-fashioned three-point play pushed the early advantage to double-digits with the Huskies up 14-4 at the 13:27 mark of the first.
At 8:37 of the opening stanza Jacob Furphy found Reibe for a freshman-to-freshman connection and jam inside that gave the Huskies a 22-11 lead. Ahead of the final media timeout of the frame Malachi Smith hit Ross for a wing 3-pointer that gave UConn a 36-23 edge with 3:37 on the first half clock. A curling 3-pointer from Karaban at 1:12 gave the Huskies their largest lead of the day at 14 and they went on to take a 44-33 lead to the half.
The second half started as a slog for both sides, with the Spartans pulling back within single-digits about five minutes into in the frame. UConn answered and kicked into gear by reeling off an 11-0 run over 1:26 of game action, capped by back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers from Ross, Smith and Karaban that put the Huskies up 63-44 with 11:26 to play.
A 7-0 spurt from the Spartans got MSU back within 71-62 ahead of the final media timeout at 3:31 of the second, but a driving lay-in from Ball after the stop pushed the lead right back to double-figures. At the 2:00 mark Ross banked one home that made it 76-62 and put the game on ice.
Inside The Numbers
- UConn shot 42.3 percent (22-52) from the field and 37.5 percent (9-24) from 3-point range, while holding MSU to 39.1 (18-46) and 28.6 (4-14) percent marks
- The Huskies limited MSU to a 3-of-16 start from the floor and did not allow a two-point field goal for the first 12:36 of the contest
- The Huskies had a slim 38-34 edge on the glass, led by seven caroms from Reibe and four for Dwayne Koroma
- Connecticut was +1 in turnover margin leading to a 16-11 edge in points off miscues
- UConn recorded an uncharacteristically low 13 assists on 22 made field goals, led by three apiece for Demary Jr. and Smith
News and Notes
- While the contest does not count towards the all-time series, UConn and MSU have split eight all-time meetings, 4-4
- UConn will return Tuesday night's exhibition in East Lansing during the 2026-27 preseason
- Ross' 13 points were one shy of his career-high of 14 set vs. UNH last season
- Karaban was a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line – he enters the season fourth in UConn history with an 84.1 percent career free throw percentage
- The 18 points for Ball came despite a cold shooting day from outside – he was 1-of-7 from distance but 5-of-6 inside the arc and 5-of-5 from the line
Up Next
The Huskies open the 2025-26 regular season on Monday, Nov. 3 when they welcome New Haven to Gampel Pavilion for a 7 p.m. tip.
