NEW YORK — UConn Huskies coach Dan Hurley climbed the ladder with “New York, New York” taking part in in Madison Sq. Backyard — or as he calls it, “Storrs South.”
Hurley, who’s from New Jersey, clipped the final piece of internet off the rim, set free a “Wooooo!” as he whirled it over his head after which tapped the Massive East signal on the backboard earlier than making his method again down.
Hurley and his defending nationwide champions have eyes on even greater prizes this March, however make no mistake, profitable the Massive East event was an enormous deal for the Huskies.
Donovan Clingan had 22 factors and a career-best 16 rebounds, Jaylin Stewart gave No. 2 UConn an surprising enhance with three second-half 3-pointers throughout a decisive surge, and the Huskies beat No. 10 Marquette 73-57 on Saturday night time to win the event for the primary time since 2011.
“MSG, Massive East event, there’s nothing prefer it,” Hurley stated. “There’s simply no comparability anyplace to what this place is like.”
Match MVP Tristen Newton added 13 factors and 10 assists because the top-seeded Huskies received their eighth title, matching Georgetown for essentially the most in convention historical past. It was their first since 2011, when Kemba Walker led UConn to 5 wins in 5 days at The Backyard — after which a nationwide title.
Stewart, a freshman who was averaging 2.4 factors off the bench, scored 9 in about 4 minutes as UConn (31-3) pulled away from a gritty Marquette staff taking part in with out injured star Tyler Kolek (indirect) for a sixth straight recreation.
Kam Jones led the third-seeded Golden Eagles (25-9), the defending event champions, with 13 factors, 8 rebounds and 4 assists.
On an evening when the Huskies struggled from the perimeter, they relied on the 7-foot-2 Clingan inside. The Connecticut native was 7-for-12 from the sphere and, as the ultimate seconds ticked off the clock, the sophomore massive man waved on hyped-up Huskies followers who packed the Midtown Manhattan area.
“It means all the pieces,” Clingan stated. “This was one in all our objectives originally of the season, so to finish it means so much.”
Two years after UConn’s final Massive East event title, the league broke up, and the Huskies went with the soccer colleges to type the American Athletic Convention, the place they received one other nationwide championship in 2014 — after which fell off.
UConn returned to the Massive East in 2020-21 and to nationwide prominence. The Huskies received their fifth NCAA title final yr, however the convention event championship had eluded Hurley’s staff. UConn hadn’t even reached the ultimate in its first three seasons again within the Massive East.
Hurley rattled off all his staff has achieved within the final yr as he accepted the trophy Saturday night time and instructed the group: “However we ain’t performed but.”
UConn improved to 8-3 in Massive East finals and 7-0 at MSG this season.
As ordinary, UConn followers packed The Backyard, and for the second straight night time Marquette confronted a road-game setting. The Golden Eagles overcame a raucous Windfall crowd in a rugged semifinal Friday night time.
“At this time was tough for positive,” stated David Joplin, who had 12 factors and 6 rebounds within the Golden Eagles’ lowest-scoring recreation of the season by 12 factors. “We have a fantastic staff, and we have a fantastic probability to play effectively within the [NCAA] event, and that is all you want is an opportunity.”
Two of the nation’s finest groups performed among the ugliest 9 minutes of basketball possible to start out the sport.
On the second media timeout, the rating was tied at 4, and the Golden Eagles and Huskies had a mixed 3 of twenty-two from the ground. The protection was aggressive and bodily, nevertheless it was additionally laborious to maintain monitor of simply what number of point-blank pictures rolled off the rim.
Issues picked up from there, and Newton swished a 3-pointer with three seconds left within the first half to offer UConn a 26-24 lead on the break.
The pictures began falling within the second half for each groups, and UConn started asserting itself with about 10 minutes left, led by Stewart.
The Huskies went on a 19-5 run and led 60-44 with 5:54 remaining when Hassan Diarra made a nook 3.
“I believed we ran out of steam there in all probability within the final 10 minutes,” Marquette coach Shaka Good stated. “Donovan Clingan was the most important distinction.”
Stewart keyed UConn’s surge together with his long-range capturing. He got here into the sport simply 6-for-30 from 3-point vary on the season.
“Greatest pictures of my life,” Stewart stated. “It was electrical in there.”
The Related Press contributed to this story.