University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
10-1,0-0Big East
Gonzaga
8-3,0-0WCC
Huskies Nab Top-10 Win Over Gonzaga In Seattle
12/16/2023 1:11:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SEATTLE – The No. 5 UConn men's basketball team (10-1) closed its non-conference slate in style, picking up a wire-to-wire win over Gonzaga (8-3) by a score of 76-63 on Friday night at Climate Pledge Arena in the Continental Tire Seattle Tip-Off. Donovan Clingan (Bristol, Conn.) led the Huskies with 21 points and eight rebounds in the win.
UConn led from the jump and shot 55.8 percent from the floor for the game. The Huskies clamped down on the defensive end in the second half, holding Gonzaga to 30.0 percent shooting in the second stanza. In support of Clingan, Cam Spencer (Davidsonville, Md.) scored 15 points, Alex Karaban (Southborough, Mass.) had 11 and Tristen Newton (El Paso, Texas) and Hassan Diarra (Queens, N.Y.) each had nine.
How it Happened
The Huskies opened fast, sprinting out to an 11-4 lead behind eight early points from Clingan. Gonzaga cut the lead down to two and the sides traded baskets there for much of the first half before a pair of Spencer 3-pointers gave UConn its largest lead of the half at 32-24.
In the final minutes of the first half, UConn rattled off an 8-0 run capped by a Solomon Ball (Leesburg, Va.) 3-pointer to help take a double-digit lead to the break at 45-34. The Huskies kept attacking and used a 7-0 run in the opening minutes of the second half to push the lead to 16 and force a Gonzaga timeout.
The two sides went stagnant for a portion of the second half, as UConn held its lead at 11 for much of the frame. Back-to-back baskets for Karaban pushed the lead back to 15 at 66-51 with 6:31 to play, prompting another GU timeout.
Gonzaga got back within 10 with a three-point play at the 4:04 mark, but UConn responded emphatically on the next trip with Diarra tossing an alley-oop to Clingan. That effectively served as the game-icing bucket, as UConn did not let Gonzaga closer than 11 the rest of the way.
Inside The Numbers
- The Huskies shot 29-of-52 (55.6 percent) from the floor and 7-of-17 (41.2 percent) from 3-point range while holding Gonzaga to 23-of-59 (39.0 percent) and 2-of-12 (16.7 percent) marks
- UConn was +2 in turnover margin and out-scored Gonzaga 17-8 off turnovers
- The Huskies finished with a 17-7 edge in bench scoring
News and Notes
- Clingan's 20-point effort was his second of the season and the fourth of his career
- The Huskies improve to 5-2 all-time against Gonzaga, including 2-0 in Seattle
- UConn has won 27 of its last 28 non-conference games
- The Huskies were out-rebounded for the first time this season
- The win was UConn's second top-10 win of the season
Up Next
UConn jumps into BIG EAST play on Wednesday, Dec. 20 with a trip to Newark to take on Seton Hall. Tip-off with the Pirates is set for 7 p.m. ET from the Prudential Center.
