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UConn men’s basketball rolls past Sacred Heart 92-56 in season opener

It was banner night in Storrs, as Huskies fans celebrated the 2024 national championship. This year’s team began its own journey with another double-digit victory.

STORRS, Conn. — An electric atmosphere at Gampel Pavilion awaited the UConn men’s basketball team Wednesday night, as the Huskies began the 2024-2025 season with a dominant 92-56 win over Sacred Heart.

Before the game, a special ceremony honored last season's championship team, as a banner commemorating the program's sixth national title was lifted into the rafters. 

Credit: FOX61 Jonah Karp
UConn men's basketball raised a banner for their 2024 national championship on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024

UConn has a long way to go to defend its back-to-back national championships, but the Huskies picked up where they left off with another double-digit victory.

Led by star junior forward Alex Karaban’s 20 points and six rebounds, and another 18 points and 10 rebounds from freshman forward Liam McNeeley, the Huskies led the entirety of the game.

UConn jumped out to a 7-0 start but allowed the Pioneers to stay in the contest early by turning the ball over multiple times. After shaking off the rust, the Huskies asserted themselves on an overmatched Sacred Heart team coming off a loss Monday to Temple.

A balanced attack gave UConn a 46-31 halftime lead. Karaban was perfect in the first frame, scoring 13 points on 5-5 shooting, including three three-pointers made. McNeeley, a top 10 recruit, shined early with 12 first-half points and two made three-pointers. Sophomore guard Solo Ball also had a solid first half, scoring 11 points with three three-point field goals made. Ball finished the game with 16 points and four three-pointers.

Credit: AP
UConn freshman Liam McNeeley, in white, performed well on both sides of the court in the season opener on Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

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A Karaban three-pointer to start the second half put the Huskies up by 18 points. On the other end of the court, Karaban registered his sixth block of the game, a career high. Karaban ultimately finished the contest with seven blocks.

After Sacred Heart hit their first three attempts from three-point range, the Pioneers went cold; they wouldn’t connect on another three-pointer until just over five minutes remained in the second half.

A three-pointer by Ball just over five minutes into the second half extended UConn’s lead to 57-33, and the Huskies built up their lead to 74-42 on a McNeeley three-pointer with 7:40 to go in the game.

Karaban’s fifth three-pointer of the night came with about six minutes left and built the UConn lead to 35, and a layup by junior transfer Tarris Reed Jr. extended that lead to 36 with 3:52 to go. Reed scored 15 points with 10 rebounds in his Huskies debut. UConn’s biggest lead of the night was 41 in the closing minutes.

UConn did turn the ball over 11 times on Wednesday, a statistic they’ll look to improve on moving forward. Prized junior transfer Aidan Mahaney, a two-time First Team All-WCC selection at St. Mary's, started the game but failed to score in his first official appearance as a Husky. 

Freshman guard Ahmad Nowell and freshman forward Isaiah Abraham both scored their first collegiate points on Wednesday. Senior Sampson Johnson, UConn's starting center, scored nine points before fouling out. 

The Huskies are back in action next against New Hampshire on Saturday at 8 p.m. at the XL Center in Hartford. They'll look to build on their 13-game winning streak dating back to last season. 

RELATED: Beyond the headband | Could Liam McNeeley be a centerpiece for UConn men's basketball?

RELATED: UConn men’s, women’s basketball teams both enter season in AP Poll’s top 3

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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com

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