HARTFORD – The No. 1 UConn men's basketball team (21-2, 11-1 BIG EAST) kept rolling on Tuesday night, winning its 11^th-straight with a wire-to-wire 71-62 victory over Butler (15-8, 6-6 BIG EAST) at a sold-out XL Center. Cam Spencer (Davidsonville, Md.) led the Huskies with 20 points in the victory and Donovan Clingan (Bristol, Conn.) recorded an 18-point, 14-rebound double-double.

The Huskies never trailed and led by as many as 14 late in the first half before the Bulldogs cut the lead to eight at the break. Butler stayed within striking distance for much of the second half, but Connecticut continued to find big shots and extend its advantage. UConn held a Butler offense that came into the contest atop the BIG EAST in scoring to nearly 20 points below its season average.

In addition to his big double-double Clingan added three blocks and three assists. Hassan Diarra (Queens, N.Y.) and Tristen Newton (El Paso, Texas) both finished with nine points and three assists and Alex Karaban (Southborough, Mass.) returned from injury to score seven points, grab three rebounds and notch three steals.

How it Happened

The Huskies started hot from the floor in a fast-paced open to the contest, hitting 6-of-7 to begin the contest and taking a 12-8 lead into the first media timeout. Both sides settled in after the quick start, until an 11-2 spurt midway through the frame gave Connecticut its largest lead at 30-18 and forced a Butler timeout with 3:41 to go in the half.

A buzzer-beating 3-pointer from the Bulldogs cut UConn's halftime lead to 35-27. Butler stayed strong to open the second half and quickly cut the lead down to four, before a Spencer 3-pointer at the 13:06 mark pushed the lead back to 47-39 in favor of the Huskies. A few minutes later at the 9:08 mark, a Stephon Castle tip-in pushed the advantage back to double-digits at 54-44 and prompted a Butler timeout.

Spencer connected on another big 3-pointer at the 5:28 mark, pushing the lead back to 10 after Butler had pulled within five. The Bulldogs got back within five again inside of two minutes to play, but a Clingan three-point play and Karaban 3-pointer quickly stretched the lead back to double-digits at 69-58. That shot from Karaban proved to be the dagger, as the Bulldogs would not pull back within two possessions the rest of the way.

Inside The Numbers

• The Huskies shot 47.4 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from 3-point range, compared to 37.3 percent and 22.2 percent marks for the Bulldogs
• Connecticut held a 38-28 edge in points in the paint
• Rebounds finished even at 33-33, with UConn scoring nine second chance points off 11 offensive rebounds
• Spencer's 20 points came on a 7-of-12 effort from the field and a 4-of-8 mark from 3-point range
• Clingan scored 18 on an efficient 8-of-12 day from the floor

News and Notes

• UConn improves to 9-0 all-time against Butler in a series dating back to 2011
• The Huskies are now 13-0 at home this season and 7-0 at the XL Center
• Connecticut moves to 47-9 all-time when playing as No. 1 in the polls
• The double-double for Clingan was his first of the season and the fifth of his career
• Clingan's 14 rebounds set a new career-high, topping his previous mark of 11 at Providence on Jan. 4, 2023
• Spencer's 20-point effort was his team-high sixth of the season
• Clingan has blocked a shot in all 18 games he has appeared in this season and has 12 games with multiple swats
• The Huskies have held their last seven opponents to fewer than 70 points
• UConn improves to 14-0 this season when holding an opponent under 40 percent shooting

Up Next

The Huskies hit the road for two in a row, beginning with a trip to Washington, D.C. to take on Georgetown on Saturday. Tip-off from the District is set for noon.