UConn Hoops: Newton explodes in Empire Classic semis
On November 16, 2013, the UConn men’s basketball team beat the Indiana Hoosiers 59-58 in the title game of the Empire Classic. It was a signature moment at Madison Square Garden for the squad that went on to win the national championship the next April. Sunday, just over a decade later, the same two teams faced off in the semifinals of the same event. Though the score was different, the victor was not, as the Huskies picked up the 77-57 win.
“Awesome first big game,” noted coach Dan Hurley. “The crowd was awesome, UConn always shows up here. Awesome atmosphere. It was a day where we didn’t shoot particularly well from three, but I thought we did the hard things well. We were +22 on the backboard against a Big 10 team with that frontcourt.”
The contest was far closer than the score indicates, as the Hoosiers were very much in things until roughly eight minutes left. It was a game of runs, with Connecticut trying to pull away, but IU not letting them do so until late. Neither blue-blood shot well, with the Huskies hitting on 32% of their threes to Indiana’s 23%. UConn also dominated the battle on the boards, doubling their opponents up 44-22.
“You need to give UConn all the credit,” Indiana Coach Mike Woodson said. “I think they were the more physical team. They took us out of everything we wanted to do…Their team is very good defensively; the looks we did have, we didn’t make. We didn’t sustain a 40 minute ball game.”
Tristen Newton had another excellent performance, scoring 23 points to go along with 11 boards and six assists. The guard still hasn’t found perfect consistency, but the good ones have been coming more frequently to start the season. This outing, along with the one against Stonehill, have paced the team in a number of categories. If Newton can continue to produce like this, the Huskies will be in fantastic shape.
“I thought he was great,” Hurley said of Newton. “Not much not to like. He’s a guy who was the best player in the national championship game in front of 75,000 people with all the money on the table. Coming into MSG in an atmosphere like this, for him, it’s exciting, but he’s an accomplished player.”
The contest got off to a rocky start for both sides. The first field goal for either side didn’t come until over two and a half minutes in when Indiana’s Kel’el Ware drained a triple. Everyone was treading water offensively, with Solomon Ball missing a few shots.
Ball had a tough start to the game, but he was able to figure things out eventually. He couldn't connect on his first handful of tries, but got going in the second half. Though injuries are never a good thing, Ball has been given opportunities that he wouldn’t have if Stephon Castle were healthy. Withstanding the bumps, this stretch will be key for Ball long-term as he develops into a feature piece of the Huskies’ rotation.
“I thought Solo was great,” mentioned Hurley. “Solo settled in in the second half. He played really well. That was encouraging.”
Samson Johnson entered the game and made a big impact quickly. Though his first dunk rimmed out, he didn’t miss the putback on the next possession. After Johnson blocked a shot at the cup, Newton made a few from the stripe, giving the Huskies a four point advantage.
The Huskies had momentum but couldn’t do enough offensively to truly capitalize. That was until Alex Karaban came around. Ahead by just three, the Massachusetts-native drilled a triple and converted an and-one to extend the Huskies’ lead.
Newton splashed one from downtown and staved off an IU run with a tough stepback. Karaban continued to pour things on with a tough transition layup and Cam Spencer added a three. Every time UConn tried to blow the doors off, the Hoosiers punched back, not letting the game get out of reach. Indiana’s Malik Reneau got three points the old fashioned way to close the half as they finished with just a seven point deficit.
After playing as more of a facilitator in their first two games, Spencer had another great scoring performance. He scored 18 points on just eight attempts and made the right plays. Though he had four fouls, they weren’t untimely and he was able to keep himself in things for the most important push. He scored five of the 10-0 run that ultimately put things out of reach for good.
“What you’ve seen the past two games, we’ve seen,” Hurley said of the Rutgers transfer. “To speak to the level of game he played, he had 18 on eight shots. He makes our offense so much better. Cutting, moving, he hit some timely shots.”
Ball put a rough first half behind him and put in a layup and a three, part of seven straight that forced an early Hoosier timeout. As was the story of the game though, Indiana fired back with seven of their own.
Continuing to have trouble against a stiff IU defense, Newton gave the ball away late in the shot clock. Before they could make a push on the other end, Hassan Diarra picked Ware clean and Newton got the bucket and the foul. Though he missed the free throw, Johnson got the offensive board and Newton found himself free for another deuce.
Neither team could hit a shot over the next few minutes. The Huskies had a few wide open opportunities, but came up empty on every try. Indiana took advantage of the lull, making it a 10 point game, until Reneau picked up his fifth foul. He had 18 points, and disqualification was exactly what UConn needed to finally break away.
Spencer notched five straight points as a part of a 10-0 run that set Storrs South into pandemonium. Though Woodson called a timeout, it was too little too late, as the Huskies won by 20. Hurley got all the benchwarmers some run, as the Huskies ran away with their 21st straight double-digit non-conference victory.
The Huskies will play next against the winner of No. 19 Texas versus Louisville at 7 p.m. on Monday.
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