Braylon Mullins caught fire from deep, Na’jai Hines took over in the paint and No. 4 UConn pulled away late for an 84-68 win over Ohio State on Friday in Hartford, Conn.
Mullins finished with 22 points and knocked down five 3-pointers, while Hines delivered 17 of his career-high 20 points after halftime to help the Huskies turn a tight game into a comfortable finish. UConn improved to 4-0 after shooting a season-best 61.2% from the field and 47.4% from 3-point range.
The Buckeyes, now 2-2, got 17 points from Jimmie Williams, 16 from John Mobley Jr. and 11 points plus five rebounds from Amare Bynum. Ohio State also hurt itself with 16 turnovers.
UConn had to survive a wild first half before it could fully separate. The Huskies opened the game with a 12-2 burst, sparked by Junior County’s 3-pointer and capped by a bucket from Silas Demary Jr. and back-to-back threes from Mullins, to build a 26-13 cushion with 10:55 left in the opening period.
Ohio State answered with a 7-2 push behind consecutive baskets from Ivan Njegovan, but UConn responded again. Colben Landrew and Mullins each finished three-point plays during a 6-0 run, and Egor Amosov’s corner 3 pushed the lead to 41-27 with 4:19 remaining.
From there, the Huskies stalled. They did not make another field goal before halftime, and Ohio State closed the half on a 13-1 run to trim the margin to 42-40. Williams fueled that rally with a tough basket, two free throws, a transition layup and a step-back 3 from Mobley in the final seconds.
The Buckeyes briefly grabbed control early in the second half when Justin Pippen hit a 3-pointer 1:14 in to make it 45-44. The game stayed close for a stretch, with four ties and Williams scoring nine straight Ohio State points, including a triple at the 16:49 mark.
Then UConn flipped the script. Mullins scored five straight points, including a go-ahead 3, during a 12-2 run that put the Huskies ahead 62-54 with 12:19 left. Jayden Ross added a 3 to finish that spurt, and after Williams ended Ohio State’s drought with a layup, UConn came right back with seven more points.
Hines finished that surge with a layup and a three-point play, stretching the lead to 69-56 with 8:53 to go. Mullins later buried his fifth 3-pointer to make it a 16-point game, and Hines added a second-chance layup in the final minute to push the margin to 18.
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