No. 4 UConn Dominates Xavier Behind Mullins and Karaban.

CINCINNATI — No. 4 Connecticut delivered a dominant performance on Wednesday, defeating Xavier 90–67 behind strong outings from Braylon Mullins and Alex Karaban.

Freshman guard Braylon Mullins connected on a career-best five three-pointers and totaled 17 points, matching his season high. The game marked his eighth appearance and fourth consecutive start after missing the opening six contests due to an ankle injury.

Alex Karaban paced the Huskies with 19 points while adding seven rebounds and four assists. Solo Ball also scored 17 points, and Tarris Reed Jr. contributed 10 points and eight rebounds. Mullins rounded out his night with six rebounds, four assists, and two steals.

UConn improved to 13–1 overall and 3–0 in Big East play. The Huskies have navigated a demanding nonconference schedule, with their lone loss coming against top-ranked Arizona.

Xavier fell to 9–5 overall and 1–2 in conference play. Malik Messina-Moore led the Musketeers with 16 points, while Roddie Anderson III added 15 off the bench. Xavier struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 4-for-18, and was outrebounded 42–26. Filip Borovicanin recorded a strong all-around effort with 14 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and four steals. Connecticut jumped out early, hitting four of its first six three-point attempts. Mullins’ second triple gave the Huskies a 19–6 advantage. UConn finished the game shooting 46 percent from three-point range and 53 percent overall. Xavier, which averaged fewer than 10 turnovers entering the game, committed seven in the first half and 11 total. After missing its first 10 three-point attempts, Borovicanin finally connected early in the second half.

Although Xavier trimmed a 25-point first-half deficit to 13 shortly after halftime, UConn maintained control. The Huskies, ranked sixth nationally in scoring defense, held Xavier well below its season averages. With the win, UConn extended its lead in the all-time series to 8–5 and avenged last season’s loss at Xavier. Connecticut will host Marquette on Sunday, while Xavier travels to DePaul on Saturday.