Hartford, Conn. – Alex Karaban scored 17 points to lead the third-ranked University of Connecticut to a 90-49 victory over the Le Moyne College men's basketball team on Wednesday night at the XL Center.

Redshirt junior forward Dwayne Koroma (Berlin, Germany/Bishop Walsh (Md.)/Iona/Salt Lake C.C./UT Arlington) led the Dolphins with 13 points (nine in the first half) and five rebounds. Junior forward Freds Pauls Bagatskis (Riga, Latvia/Complejo Educativo Mas Camarena/Georgia Tech/UT Arlington) posted 11 points, including nine in the second half on a trio of three-pointers.

Karaban, who was named to multiple national player of the year award watch lists, tallied 11 of his points in the first half. Liam McNeeley joined Karaban in hitting three three-pointers and finished the game with 15 points. Solo Ball recorded 12 points, including a trio of three-pointers. Tarris Reed Jr. posted a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench, while Hassan Diarra had 10 points and six assists.
 
The Dolphins opened the game with seven of the first 11 points over the initial 2:42. After Aidan Mahaney had a tip-in of his own miss, Koroma had a tip-in dunk and drained a three-pointer around a UConn lay-up. Zek Tekin (Istanbul, Turkey/Ozel Esenkent Okaynus Anadolu Lisesi/Siena) then converted a driving lay-up.

UConn answered with 10 straight points as the Dolphins went scoreless over seven and one-half minutes. Karaban started the run with a lay-up, McNeeley put the Huskies in front with a lay-up and then Karaban made another lay-up. After one point over the next four and one-half minutes, Diarra recorded a conventional three-point play.

Le Moyne scored six of the next eight points to pull within three, 16-13, with 8:11 to go. Will Amica (Syracuse, N.Y./West Genesee/UAlbany) made a lay-up and then Koroma had back-to-back baskets in the paint.

After the teams traded three-pointers around the under-8 media timeout, the Huskies rattled off 10 straight points as the Dolphins went 5:19 without a point. Jayden Ross had a tip-in, Karaban drilled a transition three-pointer, McNeeley hit a three-pointer in transition and then Karaban capped the streak with a dunk.

Amica snapped the drought with free throw, but the Huskies countered with nine of the last 11 points of the half to take a 38-19 lead into the intermission. Reed Jr. made two free throws and then Diarra hit a three-pointer. Following a lay-up by Bagatskis to end Le Moyne's scoring in the half, Karaban and Jaylin Stewart scored in the paint for the Huskies.

Following a basket by Mahaney to start the scoring in the second half, Amica made a driving lay-up and Koroma followed with a basket in the paint with 18:26 left.

After the teams traded baskets over the next two minutes, UConn tallied 17 of the next 19 points over a span of 4:25. Ball had eight points in the span, while McNeeley had four, Reed Jr. had three and Diarra two.

The teams split the next 24 points over six minutes before Bagatskis nailed a three-pointer from the right corner with 4:59 left to get the Dolphins within 32 for the final time.

UConn closed out the game with 11 of the last 15 points, including a pair of dunks from Ross.

Le Moyne (1-3) returns to action on Saturday at St. Bonaventure University at 4:00 p.m. The game will air on the YES Network.