Providence Friars vs Connecticut Huskies Box Score on Dec 18, 2021

A.J. Reeves scored 12 of his 16 points in the first half to lift visiting Providence to a 57-53 victory over No. 20 UConn on Saturday in Hartford, Conn.

Reeves highlighted his performance by making four 3-pointers in the first half to send the Friars (11-1, 1-0 Big East) to their sixth straight victory.

Reeves has scored 57 points on 20-for-41 shooting from the floor -- and 13-for-27 from 3-point range -- during his last three games.

Ed Croswell scored 11 points off the bench and Nate Watson added 10 points and seven rebounds for Providence.

R.J. Cole collected 16 points and eight assists for the Huskies (9-3, 0-1), who shot just 31.1 percent from the floor en route to sustaining their second loss in three games.

UConn's Tyrese Martin scored 15 points in his return from a four-game absence due to an avulsion fracture of his left wrist. Teammate Adama Sanogo, however, missed his fourth straight game with an abdominal injury.

The Huskies trimmed a 15-point deficit down to two after Tyler Polley sank a 3-pointer with 1:48 to play.

Al Durham atoned for an earlier Flagrant-1 foul by driving the baseline for a layup to give the Friars a 57-53 lead with 45 seconds remaining.

Isaiah Whaley made back-to-back layups to stake UConn to a 21-20 lead with 3:09 remaining in the first half before Providence countered with an 11-1 run. Reeves, who made 4 of 5 shots from 3-point range in the first half, converted from beyond the arc on consecutive possessions and Croswell scored the final five points of the half.

Conversely, UConn shot just 27.6 percent from the floor (8 of 29) and 16.7 percent from 3-point range (2 of 12).

Watson started the second half with a flourish, converting a short hook shot, a layup and short jumper to push Providence's lead to 37-22.

Andre Jackson sandwiched 3-pointers around Cole's three-point play to trim the Friars' advantage to 48-41, but Jared Bynum converted from behind the arc on the ensuing possession. Bynum returned to the lineup after missing his previous four games with an ankle injury.

--Field Level Media