UConn Hoops: Huskies use strong second half to advance to BET semis
The Big East tournament quarterfinals have never been much of a concern for Dan Hurley’s UConn men’s basketball team. Going into Thursday's matchup against No. 9 seed Xavier, the Huskies were a perfect 3-0 on the second day of the BET. And there wasn’t much reason to expect them to slow down. Connecticut beat the Musketeers by a combined 48 points in their previous two meetings–and this one was no different.
The top-seeded Huskies didn’t get off to their best start, but they swiftly recovered and notched a convincing 87-60 victory. It was a tale of two halves, with UConn improving their efficiency by over 38% and their 3-point shooting by 14% after talking things over in the locker room. It did help that Xavier was fatigued, but UConn kept playing their game until things got out of control. Part of that is the well-rounded effort that they can get from a team full of stars, with five different players totaling either 12 or 13 points.
“Obviously thrilled to advance here,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “Felt like Xavier would have the advantage having played in the Wednesday game. I think the first couple media timeouts maybe they had a higher level of comfortability, having been in a playoff game yesterday here. But obviously our defense, the last 30 minutes, and the 29 assists, thrilled the way we responded to some early adversity.”
As Hurley mentioned, the team’s assist totals were remarkable. On 35 made shots they finished with 29 assists, which is especially impressive when compared to Xavier’s 13/21.
“I can tell you they should have had 34 [assists],” Hurley added jokingly. “Because that one stretch of three or four minutes when we were–our lobs were a little bit off and we bricked some threes and stuff and we had some sleepy sh*t going on out there that I didn't like. It's a testament to the group. There's not many teams in the country with this level of talent. A starting five of all guys that are NBA players that are willing for it to be other people's nights on a given night…Just got a team filled with guys that bought into the culture and are all about winning.”
At the heart of the effort was Tristen Newton, who has already garnered first-team All-America honors from a number of media sources but was snubbed from Big East Player of the Year. Though he indicated postgame that the snub didn’t motivate him, the guard still had an excellent contest. He scored 13 points on 10 shots, to go along with 7 rebounds and 5 assists. He didn’t dominate in any one facet, but was steady for the Huskies when they needed it.
UConn also saw great contributions from their center tandem of Samson Johnson and Donovan Clingan. The duo combined for 25 points (12 and 13, respectively) on 11/14 shooting. Thursday especially, it seemed like there wasn’t a downside to having either in the game, especially as Clingan turned it on late.
“He's a Jolly Green Giant,” Hurley noted of Clingan. “Sometimes he's to get that intensity level up, get that nastiness. He's such a sweetheart of a guy. And, yeah, he turned it up and got pissed off. But just with the combination of those two guys, it gave us–tonight it looked a lot like what we were getting from our centers last year. Samson was fabulous and when Donovan turns it up, he impacts the game like few players in the country.”
As to why Clingan was able to have such a strong second half? That was largely a product of the coaches’ message to him at halftime.
“It was the assistants emphasizing that I need to be more dominant, more forceful,” Clingan said. “Everyone was telling me to play aggressive, tear the rim off, block shots.”
Hurley elaborated on Johnson’s contributions too, citing his importance to the Huskies.
“I think he went through a stretch of games where he wasn't being as effective as he was when Donovan was out in that early part of the season,” Hurley noted. “I just think he's gotten back to the things that he does well. He's learned to handle the physicality of these games, and he was a major difference maker. What he's doing ball screen defense wise too, just kind of backing those guards up and keeping them from getting downhill. And then the pressure he puts on the rim when he's rolling is–it opens a lot of things up.”
Cam Spencer didn’t have a bad game himself, among the top Huskies with 12 points, while posting a game-high 8 assists. His passing is something that has separated himself this season, where he’s able to be an impact player even when his shot isn’t falling.
The Huskies were slow out of the gate, partially due to a late-arriving noon crowd. Big East Most Improved Player, Desmond Claude, opened things up with a layup and Quincy Olivari drilled back to back threes to cap off the 10-0 start.
It wasn’t the first time the Huskies had been jumped early in a game, thinking back to their regular season finale against Providence where they trailed 15-2. Just like in the game against the Friars, UConn didn’t blink. Layups from four different Huskies, along with a triple from Karaban created a 13-0 run and got them ahead.
Karaban didn’t have an eye-popping night as a shooter, with that three being his only one, but he drove well en route to 12 points. The forward closed the regular season with a solid outing and seems to be carrying it over to NYC. He was in the group of the several Huskies who did very well, with nobody shouldering the load.
Trey Green lived true to his first name, drilling one from downtown as the Musketeers were determined to not go out easy. Despite finding themselves in another six point hole, a Newton three and a Johnson slam put the Huskies back in the driver’s seat. Neither side found any breathing room for the rest of the half, as Connecticut led by one at the break.
Xavier did their best to keep things from getting bad early in the second, but playing two games in 22 hours isn’t easy, especially when the second game is against UConn. They managed to periodically put the ball in the hoop, but the Huskies did so at a much higher rate.
An early run to start the frame put the Huskies in front by eight, but they were just getting started. Spencer missed a three, but Newton skyed in for a surprise putback flush, while Castle followed it with a swat.
“It’s MSG, that brings a different energy,” Newton mentioned of the dunk. “I try to crash the glass when I can, but I don’t get a chance to much. It was a good feeling. Usually when Cam shoots it, I don’t crash, but it was a good bounce of the rim.”
Newton added another from distance, Clingan scored 11 straight points for UConn and just like that, the game was all but over. Connecticut pulled out with a 27 point win, dominating Xavier.
The team will get just over 24 hours to celebrate this one and reset, as they have a big semifinal matchup against the winner of St. John’s-Seton Hall Friday at 5:30 p.m.. That game can be viewed on FOX and could be Hurley’s first ever semifinal victory.
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