HARTFORD, Conn. — — Liam McNeeley scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half and UConn closed the game on a 27-6 run to defeat Villanova 66-59 on Tuesday night.

UConn trailed 53-39 with 11:58 remaining after Wooga Poplar scored 11 straight Villanova points.

McNeeley made two free throws with 1:42 remaining in the second half to give UConn its first lead, 60-58, since it was 2-0.

Tarris Reed Jr. added a reverse layup with 22.3 seconds left, off a nice drive and pass from McNeeley, to go ahead 64-59. After a missed layup by Villanova, McNeeley secured it with two free throws.

Reed finished with 13 points and nine rebounds for the Huskies (18-8, 10-5 Big East Conference). Solomon Ball went 5 of 13 from the field (3 for 9 from 3-point range) to finish with 13 points.

The Wildcats (15-12, 8-8) were led by Poplar, who recorded 19 points. Eric Dixon added 17 points.

Jordan Longino scored all 13 of his points in the first half for Villanova, which led 34-26 at the break.

UConn goes against No. 10 St. John’s on Sunday at Madison Square Garden. Villanova hosts Marquette on Friday.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.