A timely 10-0 run late in the second half proved to be the difference as No. No. 6/5 Connecticut took an 80-70 win over Butler Wednesday evening at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. 
 
Solo Ball had a game-high 24 points for the Huskies while both Tarris Reed Jr. and Silas Demary Jr. posted double-doubles.
 
With the win, UConn is now 23-2 and 13-1 in BIG EAST play. The Bulldogs fall to 13-12 (4-10).
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Neither team led by more than six in a back-and-forth first half that had UConn enter the locker room with a 41-38 advantage.
• UConn built an eight-point lead (62-54) with 10:48 remaining in the game before the Bulldogs countered by scoring eight of the next 10 points to cut the lead to 64-62.
• That is when the UConn 10-0 spurt pushed the lead to 12 with 4:32 remaining in the contest, which was the largest lead of the game at that point.

 
TIP-INS:

• UConn was 13-for-31 from three-point range (42 percent), led by six three-pointers from Ball. The Huskies shot 51 percent for the game from the field.
• Butler countered by shooting 46 percent from the field and 8-for-21 from behind the arc.
• Drayton Jones led Butler with 15 points; he made all six of his attempts from the field.
• Yohan Traore (14), Evan Haywood (12) and Jamie Kaiser Jr. (10) also reached double figures for the Bulldogs. Traore and Kaiser contributed to a 26-8 bench scoring advantage for Butler.
• Michael Ajayi had seven points, six assists, five rebounds, three blocks and three steals for Butler.
• Finley Bizjack had five assists but the BIG EAST's second-leading scorer was limited to five points in the contest before exiting the game late in the second half with a left wrist injury. He will be further evaluated tomorrow.
• UConn, led by Reed's 10, had a 33-26 rebounding advantage. This was only the seventh time in 25 games that Butler has been out-rebounded.
• Both teams committed eight turnovers. UConn had 22 assists on 30 made field goals while Butler had 21 assists on 25 makes.
• Reed has 16 points and 10 rebounds to go along with seven assists while Demary scored 11 points and added 10 assists.
• Braylon Mullins scored 15 points for UConn.
• UConn has won all 13 match-ups against Butler, as the teams first met in the 2011 NCAA national championship game in Houston, the second of the Bulldogs' back-to-back runs to the Final Four. The remaining 12 match-ups in the series have come since the 2020-21 season when the Huskies re-joined the BIG EAST Conference.
• This was the second meeting between the teams this season as UConn defeated Butler, 79-60, Dec. 16 in Hartford.
• Freshman guard Azavier Robinson will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season due to a left wrist injury that requires surgery. 
• The game served as Butler's annual Project 44 game, honoring the legacy of the late Andrew Smith.

 
UP NEXT: The Bulldogs continue a two-game homestand, hosting Seton Hall Sunday at 6 p.m. at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Butler Athletics Hall of Fame Class will be recognized during the game. Tickets are still available for the tip, which will also air nationally on FS1.