HARTFORD, Conn. — Alex Karaban scored seven of his 20 points in overtime to lead No. 11 UConn to a 94-89 victory over Xavier on Wednesday night in the Big East opener for both teams.

Solo Ball led the Huskies (9-3) with 22 points and Tarris Reed Jr. had 20, including four in OT. Reed also grabbed 13 rebounds.

Liam McNeeley hit two free throws with 12 seconds left in regulation after Xavier’s Dante Maddox Jr. tied the score with his fifth three-pointer of the game. A late foul by UConn allowed Maddox to tie the game again with two foul throws with 9.4 seconds left.

Ryan Conwell had 23 points and Maddox finished with 22 for Xavier (8-4).

Both teams were missing key players. A lower-body injury will sideline Zach Freemantle, Xavier’s leading scorer and rebounder, indefinitely. UConn was without starting center Samson Johnson (concussion protocol).

Takeaways

Xavier: For Xavier, this was the second of three straight games against ranked teams. The last time the Musketeers played three consecutive matchups against ranked teams was in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. Playing without Freemantle, who missed all of last season, only makes the challenge greater for Xavier.

UConn: The Huskies hadn’t been outscored from the 3-point line in their first 10 games, but won their conference opener despite being outnumbered 39-24 on 3-point shots.

Key moment

Xavier was within a point early in overtime before Reed hit back-to-back baskets to give the Huskies a two-possession lead.

Key statistics

UConn took advantage of Freemantle’s absence by outscoring Xavier in the paint 50-28. Eight of UConn’s overtime points came in the game.

Next

The Musketeers host No. 1 on Saturday. 9Marquette. UConn will play at Butler on Saturday.