The No. 4 UConn men’s basketball team picked up its first win of the 2025-2026 season, dispatching the University of New Haven, 79-55. Alex Karaban led the way with 19 points and 10 rebounds, his third double-double of his career. Solo Ball added 18 points and five rebounds, while Jaylin Stewart chipped in 11 points and eight rebounds.
The Huskies may not have had an eye-opening blowout that the -42.5 spread had foretold, with sophomore forward Andre Pasha and the Chargers a feistier threat than Vegas
and KenPom maybe had anticipated. Overall though, it was a balanced effort for UConn to build on, with plenty of positives to take away. Silas Demary Jr. joined the Karaban, Ball, and Stewart in double figures with 10 points, and looked smooth running the point.
Stewart took advantage of his starting nod and was the best player on the court most of the time. And UConn’s depth came in as advertised, with 15 bench points paced by Malachi Smith.
First Half
Just as we all predicted, eight of UConn’s first 10 points of the season came from Stewart and Eric Reibe, all in the paint.
The Chargers hung around a bit longer than expected, mixing in a little zone and unbothered by UConn’s ball pressure. The Huskies got some good looks but a 1-for-9 stretch from the home team kept the crowd on its toes.
An Alec Millender triple doubled up New Haven at 7:22, while Dwayne Koroma made an impact on both ends. After a Ball putback dunk, every rotation player had found their way in the scoresheet.
Hurley experimented with an array of lineups, putting Demary Jr with Smith and showing some small ball with Stewart at the five. Back-to-back triples from Karaban and Ball gave UConn its largest lead of 15, though Hurley probably didn’t love 16 of the Chargers’ 24 first-half points coming in the paint.
Second Half
Instead of expanding on the lead, UConn let New Haven back into it with a 7-0 run out of the break. Ball willed UConn away from disaster though, coming to life with blocks, downhill drives, and smart passes inside. But every time UConn looked ready to crack it open to 20 and beyond, New Haven had an answer, and it seemed like the crowd was growing restless with the lack of convincing knockout.
Much to the surprise of the crowd, the Chargers were trying to win too!
A Stewey block and ball triple gave the crowd the juice it needed, and next thing you knew, the Huskies were up 20. Five-straight points from Karaban gave UConn its largest lead of the night at 5:22. But Hurley must have not liked the way the Chargers hung around, since he kept the starters in until the final minute.
You can pick nits at the lack of spread covering all you want, or the 1v1 defense that looked lax at times, or the easy looks that were missed. But the Huskies looked very dangerous with a B level performance, and missing two key pieces. And credit has to go to Coach Hotaling of the Chargers; New Haven didn’t back down and played with physicality that will only help UConn in the long run.
The Huskies will be back in action on Friday, against UMass Lowell, at PeoplesBank Arena. The game will tip at 7 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on Peacock.
