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  • Top-Seeded UConn Mows Right Through Stetson, 22-13, To Keep Dancing

Top-Seeded UConn Mows Right Through Stetson, 22-13, To Keep Dancing

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Basketball

The top-seed UConn men's basketball team (32-3) made quick work of its first opponent of March Madness, dominating 16-seed Stetson (22-13) by a score of 91-52 on Friday afternoon in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament at the Barclays Center.

Donovan Clingan (Bristol, Conn.) led all five starters in double-figures for the Huskies with 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

In total 10 Huskies found the scoresheet in the rout, with Cam Spencer checking in behind Clingan with 15 points. Stephon Castle and Alex Karaban both scored 14, while Tristen Newton had 13 and dished out eight assists.

The win was UConn's seventh-straight in the NCAA Tournament, as the reigning champs have become the fifth team in NCAA Tournament history to win at least seven games in a row by double-figures.

How it Happened

The Huskies jumped out fast, taking an 8-0 lead with a pair of Newton-to-Clingan alley-oops and forcing a Stetson timeout at 16:53 of the opening stanza. A pair of 3-pointers from Karaban and Spencer sparked another 8-0 run for the Huskies as they opened up their early lead to 16-2, and a coast-to-coast lay-in by Castle made it 21-4 and prompted another Stetson timeout with 11:35 to play in the first.

Overall, nine different Huskies scored in the opening frame and Connecticut took a 52-19 lead to the half. UConn shot 68.8 percent from the floor and dished out 15 assists in the opening 20. The Huskies became just the third team (Gonzaga in 2019 vs. FDU, Memphis in 2008 vs. Michigan State) in the last 20 years to lead by at least 30 at halftime of an NCAA Tournament game.

The Hatters used a 9-0 run early in the second half to pull back inside of 30 and out-scored the Huskies over the first half of the frame. A Jaylin Stewart 3-pointer and Hassan Diarra transition bucket pushed the lead back to 70-38 before a UConn timeout with 10:16 to go.

The Huskies began to empty their bench around the five-minute mark of the second half with an 83-45 lead. The rest was merely window dressing as Connecticut closed out the 39-point win.

Inside The Numbers

  • UConn shot 37-of-70 (52.9 percent) from the floor and 9-of-24 (37.5 percent) from 3-point range
  • Conversely, the Huskies held Stetson to 17-of-55 (30.9 percent) from the field and 2-of-20 (15.0 percent) from distance
  • The Huskies held a 45-30 edge in rebounding and turned 14 offensive rebounds into a 20-5 edge in second chance points
  • UConn dominated inside to the tune of a 56-16 edge in points in the paint
  • UConn recorded 22 assists on 37 field goals, led by eight from Newton and four apiece from Spencer and Clingan
  • The Connecticut reserves held an 18-4 edge in bench points

News and Notes

  • UConn improves to 66-32 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, while Dan Hurley improves to 9-4 in the Big Dance
  • The contest was UConn's first-ever meeting with Stetson
  • Connecticut is now 22-0 this season when holding an opponent under 40 percent from the floor
  • All five starters scored in double-figures for Connecticut for the fifth time this season
  • UConn has now won its last seven NCAA Tournament games by double-figures – marking the fifth time in Tournament history that has been accomplished. The record for such victories is nine, held by Michigan State from 2000-01

Up Next

The Huskies continue their journey in the NCAA Tournament with a Second Round match-up against 9-seed Northwestern on Sunday.