Alex Curban scored 21 and Liam McNeely added 17 to help No. 11 UConn avoid a 78-74 loss against Butler on Saturday in Indianapolis.
The Huskies (10-3) won their sixth straight.
The Bulldogs (7-6) came within two in the final minutes, but two consecutive 3-pointers from Karaban gave UConn a 5-point lead, 74-69, with 59 seconds remaining.
The Huskies then sank all four of their free throws – two by Hassan Diarra with 15 seconds remaining and two by McNally with 6 seconds remaining – ending the game.
At the end of the second half, Butler came back from 16 points down to tie the game. The Bulldogs were within two with 8 seconds to play.
Andre Skrine led Butler with a career-high 17 points along with 10 rebounds. Patrick McCaffery also scored 17 while Pierre Brooks II added 13.
Connecticut took the lead early, partially thanks to the Bulldogs’ Jahmael Telfort, who missed his first six shots from the floor before being benched.
However, Butler battled back and cut its deficit to six as UConn missed 6 of 7 from the floor.
Telfort then came off the bench and scored five, including a 3-pointer, to bring Butler within three at the end of the first half.
The Huskies then finished the half strongly with a 6–0 lead, while the Bulldogs missed 7 of 8 shots. UConn led 42–33 at the break.
UConn shot exactly 50 percent from the floor in the half (16 of 32), including 6 of 11 from deep. Butler stayed in it by committing just one turnover, a category that has troubled the Bulldogs this season.
In the second half, Butler fell down and got up again several times.
The Bulldogs went on a 9-0 run to get themselves within five at 51-46. The Huskies responded and got it back to double digits, but Butler would not give up.
Butler’s separate 8-0 run tied the game at 63 with 4:43 left in regulation.
UConn is undefeated against Butler in program history, improving to 10–0 with all 10 matchups occurring since 2011.
–Field Level Media
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