Top 5 Clash: #4 Arizona Dominates the Glass to Stun #3 UConn 71-67

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STORRS, CT — In the season’s premier non-conference showdown, the No. 4 Arizona Wildcats (5-0) put on a clinic in physicality and poise, securing a hard-fought 71-67 road victory over the No. 3 UConn Huskies (4-1) at a sold-out Gampel Pavilion on Wednesday night. The victory, sealed by a flurry of clutch plays in the final two minutes, validates Arizona’s status as a legitimate national championship contender and snaps UConn’s impressive 36-game home winning streak against non-conference opponents.

The battle was won decisively in the paint, a fact magnified by the Huskies playing without their starting center, Tarris Reed Jr. The Wildcats exploited the advantage mercilessly, outrebounding UConn by a staggering 43-23 margin and dominating the scoring inside, where they held a 42-24 edge.

Freshmen and Veterans Deliver in the Clutch

Arizona established a double-digit lead midway through the second half, pulling ahead by as much as 13 points, but the Huskies, fueled by freshman Eric Reibe’s career-high 15 points, battled back to tie the game at 62-62 with just over two minutes remaining.

However, the Wildcats never panicked. In the final, decisive moments, the game belonged to a combination of veteran leadership and freshman ferocity:

The Go-Ahead Hook: With the score tied, center Motiejus Krivas grabbed one of his career-high 14 rebounds off the offensive glass and converted a crucial second-chance hook shot to give Arizona the lead for good with 1:12 left.
Freshman Force: Star freshman Koa Peat was instrumental all night, logging his first career double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. His tip-in tied the game at 62-62, and he was a constant physical presence on both ends of the floor.
The Dagger: With 16 seconds remaining, guard Jaden Bradley (who led all scorers with 21 points) delivered the final blow, driving aggressively for an up-and-under layup off a clutch UConn turnover, pushing the margin to three points and quieting the furious home crowd.

The Wildcats, led by the combined 26 rebounds from Peat and Krivas, suffocated the Huskies, becoming only the third team since 1995 to win three of their first five games away from home against Top 15 opponents. Arizona’s unflappable road performance hands UConn its first loss of the season and firmly establishes the Wildcats as the team to beat in the early college basketball season.