“Clutch.”
That was the word UConn men’s basketball head coach Dan Hurley used to describe Silas Demary Jr.’s performance as the No. 3 Huskies defeated No. 7 BYU on Saturday night.
The Huskies (4-0) led by as much as 20 in Boston’s TD Garden, but BYU (3-1) battled back into the game late in the second half. The Cougars didn’t miss a shot for nearly six minutes after the 10-minute mark. They were able to cut the Huskies lead all the way down to two as time expired.
UConn still managed to “hang on,” as Hurley put it, pulling out an 86-84 victory. Demary scored a season-high 21 points with seven assists on his way to being named the game’s Most Valuable Player. He made several key stops down the stretch, including a game-sealing takeaway from Robert Wright III with 12 seconds to play.
“We talked about having to jump and swipe back to the gap,” Demary said. “That’s just what I did.”
Demary was the microwave that got the Huskies offense cooking in the early going. He rattled off seven points over a two-minute span to put the Huskies up nine through the first 10 minutes of action.
Demary capped off the run by leaping through two BYU defenders to tip in a missed three from Jayden Ross, followed by a deafening roar from the Storrs North crowd.
“It’s very comforting to know what we have at that position this year,” Hurley said. “It’s potentially high-level, and it’s a two-way player too.”
Saturday marked Massachusetts-native AJ Dybantsa’s homecoming game. The former blue-chip recruit grew up 25 miles south of Boston before committing to BYU. The Huskies were able to neutralize Dybantsa in the first half, holding the freshman to just four points on 1/6 shooting.
Dybansta lit up UConn’s defense in the second half. He missed just one of his eight shots from the field, scoring 21. He netted a three with 30 seconds to play that brought the game within one possession. Despite his second half run not resulting in a win, Hurley said his performance was “as good as you’ll see from a freshman.”
“Once he got it going, that’s what players that are special just start doing,” Hurley said.
The three-ball was a key factor in the contest. Ross, who finished with 10 for the second game in a row, got the Huskies rolling from three after knocking down the team’s first of the game. UConn went down to bury eight 3-pointers on 44.4% shooting.
Alex Karaban was also playing in a homecoming game as a resident of Southborough, Mass. He was perfect from three, going four-for-four on his way to a 21-point scoring night.
“Just being blessed to have the opportunity to come back here and play with another UConn squad was awesome,” Karaban said. “I loved every second of it.”
BYU missed its first 10 attempts from beyond the arc. The Cougars were able to knock down two triples in the final minutes of the first half, including a buzzer beater from Tyler Mrus entering halftime. BYU hit six more 3’s in the second half, with two coming from Dybantsa. However, the abysmal shooting start set BYU back 43-32 at the intermission.
Fouls were a big issue for UConn, which helped BYU creep back into the game. The Huskies committed a total of 21 fouls. Ross fouled out with over four minutes to play, after fouling out Monday against Columbia. Solo Ball and Jaylin Stewart were both in danger of fouling out, each committing four.
“I think the amount of fouling, amount of times we kind of put them at the line allowed AJ to get a rhythm going,” Hurley said.
Keba Keita exited the game early for BYU after suffering a head injury in the first half. He collided with Demary on a fast break, sending him to the floor. Keita was assisted to his feet and off of the court on his way to the locker room.
Keita’s early night paired with the absence of Kennard Davis, who was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of DUI, left a glaring hole at the interior for BYU.
This made room for Tarris Reed Jr. to have another big night for the Huskies. The 6-foot-11 center snatched eight rebounds to go along with his 21-point game, matching Karaban and Demary for the team scoring lead. He made his first seven consecutive field goal attempts. Since making his season debut against Lowell, Reed is averaging 19.5 points and 10 rebounds per game.
“I thought he could have even been better,” Hurley said. “He’s one of the most talented big guys in the country, and he’s going to get a lot sharper, a lot better as the year goes on.”
The Huskies will be back in the spotlight with another Big 12 opponent on Wednesday, when they take on No. 5 Arizona at Gampel Pavilion.
“It’s just great… to be tested by these mega teams and give people fun games to watch in November,” Hurley said.
The action will tip off at 7 p.m. and can be watched on FS1.