Alex Karaban Stats Tonight: How did UConn star fare vs Memphis? (Nov 25)
Junior forward Alex Karaban delivered a strong performance, but No. 2 UConn fell to Memphis 99-97 in the opening round of the Maui Invitational on Monday.
Karaban logged a game-high 43 minutes, leading UConn’s starters with 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc and a perfect 3-of-3 at the free throw line. He added four rebounds, six assists and just one turnover, but his efforts weren’t enough to carry the Huskies past the Tigers.
Karaban was active early, hitting two 3-pointers, grabbing two rebounds and dishing three assists in the first half, including a key feed to Tarris Reed Jr. that gave UConn a brief lead before Memphis tied the game at 40 heading into halftime.
Karaban had a slower start in the second half, knocking down his first three-pointer at the 15:05 mark. He later added points from the free-throw line after drawing a foul from Nicholas Jourdain. Despite Memphis extending its lead to 13 with four minutes left, Karaban played a crucial role in UConn's late 18-5 run to force overtime, contributing five points, a rebound, and an assist to Liam McNeeley’s clutch 3-pointer.
The overtime period saw the teams tied at 92 with less than a minute remaining when a controversial over-the-back foul on Liam McNeeley led to UConn coach Dan Hurley being called for a technical foul. Memphis capitalized, with PJ Carter sinking four consecutive free throws—two for the technical and two for the personal foul — giving the Tigers a 96-92 lead with just 40.3 seconds left.
After the loss, Karaban took full responsibility for the team’s performance:
"It's on my shoulders completely, 100% my shoulders, how the team responds, how the team acts, how we watch film, how we do everything in general," Karaban said via CBSSports.com.
"It's all on me, and I've got to do that. I've got to continue to do a better job of that. It's something I'm going to address the team after, too, in the players' meeting just to make sure that we've got to wake up," he added.
The defeat snapped UConn’s 17-game winning streak which dated back to last season, as the two-time defending national champions dropped to 4-1 on the year.
UConn falls to Memphis in first matchup of the season
UConn suffered its first loss of the season to Memphis, falling to 8-9 in the all-time series after meeting the Tigers for the first time since an AAC game in 2020.
The Huskies shot efficiently, hitting 49.2% from the field (32-of-65) and 46.7% from beyond the arc (14-of-30). However, they allowed Memphis to shoot even better — 54.7% overall (29-of-53) and 54.5% from 3 (12-of-22) — both season-highs for a UConn opponent.
UConn held a narrow 33-30 edge in rebounding, with Tarris Reed Jr. pulling down 11 boards and Hassan Diarra adding six. Another bright spot for the Huskies was their ball movement, recording 22 assists on 32 made field goals. Their bench also contributed significantly, outscoring Memphis’ reserves 50-23, marking a season-best performance from UConn’s second unit.
However, Memphis capitalized on drawing fouls, earning 31 fouls and converting 29-of-40 free throws compared to UConn's 24 attempts. The Tigers also dominated in transition, holding a 17-7 advantage in fast-break points.
Depending on the outcomes of later games, UConn will face either Michigan State or Colorado on Tuesday.