UConn Hoops: Defense, $2 beer leads Huskies to win over Creighton
$2 Beer Night at Gampel Pavilion. It’s an event that lives in infamy in UConn fans’ and players’ minds. There’s something about that extra intoxication from the Miller Lite that just gives everyone in the building an extra gear.
On Wednesday, that was definitely the case for the top ranked UConn men’s basketball team as they faced No. 18 Creighton on campus. The crowd was at a fever pitch, just as they were last year on $2 Beer Night. The players seemed keen on winning for those in the stands, many of whom were waiting by the arena for over 10 hours pregame. In the end, everyone but Creighton was happy, with the Huskies pulling out a commanding 62-48 victory.
“The crowd was awesome from the anthem,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “When the crowd was into it, that had an impact on all of us. The crowd was on autopilot. It never needed prompting. They had a huge impact on the outcome of the game today.”
Through the loss, Creighton coach Greg McDermott had a similar impression.
“It was a great crowd,” noted McDermott. “A great college basketball environment. They responded to [being ranked No. 1] with a lot of maturity. The crowd has a big impact on the game.”
It wasn’t a high-scoring affair by any measure, with defense at a high-level. It seemed that every shot Creighton took was a bit more difficult than usual, with the Bluejays connecting on a mere six of their 26 tries from beyond the arc and tossing three air balls. The Huskies didn’t have an amazing day shooting themselves, hitting 26% of their attempts from deep, but the shots fell in at the right times.
“We weren’t very good,” McDermott said. “UConn had everything to do with that. They knocked us out of our rhythm offensively. Our first shot defense is very good. We did a decent job of that, but we couldn’t keep them off the glass.”
It was a 14-2 run midway through the first half that gave Connecticut the lead for the rest of the contest. Down 12-9 prior, Cam Spencer hit shot after shot, totaling nine of the 14 in the streak.
Spencer was solid on the evening, though not contributing much outside of the run. He finished with 13 points and grabbed six boards and two steals. His efforts on the glass was a valuable part of the largely undersized Huskies’ monster advantage in that category. Though star C Donovan Clingan was back following a month long absence, he was on a minutes restriction (15 minutes). Huge efforts to rebound from guards like Spencer and others were a big part of the victory.
“We’re an effort rebonding team,” Hurley mentioned. “We get there with quickness and life or death pursuit. We were able to get off bodies and go and get the ball. We had a really brutal film session after these past few games. We didn’t like being embarrassed and the boys responded.”
Alex Karaban had similar thoughts on the team’s outing on the boards.
“We had a huge emphasis that we needed to rebound better,” said Karaban. “We needed to reestablish who we are on the glass. Everyone was locked in defensively, we were tough.”
Clingan’s return was one of the game’s bigger storylines and he made an impact in his limited time.
“I feel good,” the center said of his health. “I got a couple days of practice in, working to get my conditioning, my touch back. To battle with my guys in front of the home crowd, it felt good.
Samson Johnson threw down a dunk to lead the Huskies into the half up by 11, with the Bluejays in desperate need of a swing their way. A pair of Karaban layups and a Stephon Castle three ensured that didn’t happen, as Connecticut jumped out to an 18 point advantage.
Castle was more aggressive than he often is, despite only finishing at five points. He went 2-12, but his willingness to shoot was encouraging within itself. NBA teams want to see a player capable of hitting threes. He made the one triple, but his development as a scorer will only grow with his confidence. The tools are there and nights with this poor efficiency won’t come very often.
His defense was a huge factor in the effort to hold Creighton to 48 points, collecting eight boards and two steals. His defense, when combined with the rest of the team, caused a 14-7 turnover advantage and 11 more points on the fastbreak.
Tristen Newton also added a few steals and wasn’t terribly efficient, but he was the ultimate difference maker. He poured in 16 points on 15 shots and pulled down eight boards. With a smaller guard defending him, Newton had an easier time on the offensive boards, grabbing four. He looked the part of a top guard in the country and is a big key to the Huskies’ success.
“Tristen was great today,” Hurley noted. “He was engaged. When you get an engaged Tristen with what he does on the backboard and offensively, he’s one of the best players in the league. He’s got to stay connected and engaged.”
Another swish from downtown and a handful of layups from Karaban put the exclamation point on his 11-point second half. Even as play got a bit more lax in the waning minutes, the home squad stayed strong and emerged with the win.
Karaban’s second half total was evidently the same as his game total, really making the most of his minutes late. It wasn’t his strongest performance in full, but the team effort was excellent and he maximized his opportunities.
“Thrilled to get the win,” said Hurley, reflecting on the game as a whole. “It was the most impressive one of the year. The question marks about this team were answered tonight. The defensive and rebounding performance was vintage tonight. Creighton is one of the best teams in the country.”
The Huskies’ next challenge will come in Philly when they face off against Villanova this Saturday.
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