Defense to secure win over Gonzaga provides momentum as UConn men pivot focus to Big East play

[ad_1]

SEATTLE – The UConn men’s basketball team closed its nonconference season with a top 10 win over Gonzaga on Friday night, 76-63. The reigning national champs enter Big East play after an 10-1 start to the season, making them 27-1 in out-of-conference games dating back to the start of last year with all 27 wins decided by double digits.

But now the attention turns to the league, where the results weren’t nearly the same.

UConn finished fourth in the Big East last season with a 13-7 record, and now that the cardboard Seattle Tip-Off poster is removed from Dan Hurley’s easel, replaced by the Big East regular-season trophy, there are a number of games coming up that have been circled on the calendars of the Huskies’ returners.

And it all starts at Seton Hall, where the Huskies blew a 14-point halftime lead and lost on a last-second shot with Hurley and associate head coach Kimani Young watching from home with Covid. It was UConn’s fifth loss in six games during a brutal January stretch.

Clingan scores 21 as UConn men finish nonconference slate with 76-63 win over No. 10 Gonzaga in Seattle

“Can’t wait,” said Donovan Clingan, who looked as healthy as he has all season in a 21-point, eight-rebound performance to lead the team Friday night. “This game on Wednesday was circled for a while.”

“They were already talking about a little revenge from last year,” Rutgers transfer Cam Spencer said outside the locker room. “Seton Hall’s our first one, we gotta go get that and then should be a great conference (season).”

UConn, after shooting 63% from the field and 78% (7 of 9) from 3-point range to build a 45-34 lead at halftime, had to rely on its defense after the break. The Huskies cooled off significantly and, while turning the ball over six times in the second half, shot 48% from the field and missed all eight attempts from deep.

“We got a little bit out of sorts there, but teams that could win it all, that could go the distance, they’re elite offensively…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/defense-secure-win-over-gonzaga-181600832.html

Author : Hartford Courant

Publish date : 2023-12-16 18:16:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.