University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
29-3,18-2Big East
Xavier
16-17,9-11Big East
Top-Seed UConn Explodes Late, Tops #9 Xavier in Quarterfinals
3/14/2024 3:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball
NEW YORK – The top-seed UConn men's basketball team (29-3) used a rousing second half to advance past nine-seed Xavier (16-17) with an 87-60 rout in BIG EAST Tournament Quarterfinal play on Thursday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. With the win, the Huskies advance to the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals for the fourth-straight year.
UConn shot an absurd 78.6 percent in the second half and set UConn BIG EAST Tournament single-game records for assists (29) and field goal percentage (58.3 percent). The Huskies led by a single point after a sluggish first half, but exploded to the tune of a 53-27 margin in the second period.
UConn had a tremendously balanced scoring effort in the win, seeing six players reach double-figures for the second time this season. Donovan Clingan and Tristen Newton tied for the team-high with 13 points, while Alex Karaban, Samson Johnson and Cam Spencer all recorded 12. Stephon Castle was the sixth Husky in double-digits with 10 points to go along with eight rebounds and five assists.
Spencer added a career-high eight assists to his dozen points, and Newton finished with seven rebounds and five assists. Clingan added seven boards, four assists and two blocks to his 13 points, while Karaban grabbed six rebounds.
How it Happened
The Huskies started slow, with the Musketeers opening the game on a 10-0 run in the opening minutes. UConn answered swiftly, reeling off the next nine points to force a Xavier timeout at the 14:17 mark. After the stoppage, a transition bucket from Samson Johnson off a slick feed from Hassan Diarra gave Connecticut its first lead. Overall the UConn run went to 13-0 in response to the early XU spurt.
Around the five-minute mark of the opening stanza, a Johnson slam broke a streak of nine-straight misses for the Huskies and put them back ahead at 23-22. The sides continued to go back-and-forth in a first half that featured five lead changes and four times. A Spencer 3-pointer in the final seconds of the frame helped Connecticut to a 34-33 edge at the break.
The Huskies opened fast in the second half, scoring six of the first eight points to push their lead to the largest of the day at 40-35 and force a Xavier timeout at the 18:38 mark. A Newton put-back slam, corner 3-pointer and alley-oop to Johnson helped stretch the lead to double-digits for the first time at 52-42 midway through the second.
Five-straight from Clingan gave UConn its largest lead at 60-47 before a timeout with 7:42 to play. Later in the frame, the Huskies used a ferocious 13-0 run to take their largest lead of the day at 75-49 before the final media timeout and put the game away. Connecticut would close the contest making its final 15 shots from the field in the 27-point win.
Inside The Numbers
- The Huskies finished 35-of-60 from the floor, shooting 58.3 percent to set the new UConn single-game high mark for a BIG EAST Tournament game
- Conversely, UConn held Xavier 21-of-61 from the floor (34.4 percent) to improve to 20-0 this season when holding an opponent under 40 percent
- Connecticut dished out 29 assists on its 35 field goals, setting a single-game UConn BIG EAST Tournament record for assists – topping the previous mark of 27 set in the 6 OT game in 2009
- UConn finished with a commanding 54-24 edge in points in the paint
- The Huskies held a 15-4 advantage in fast break points and a 27-15 edge in bench scoring
News and Notes
- The Huskies are now 40-29 in the BIG EAST Tournament all-time, advancing to the Semifinals for the fourth-straight year
- UConn improves to 6-4 all-time against Xavier, winning all three contests this season
- Saturday's quarterfinal was the first-ever BIG EAST Tournament meeting between UConn and Xavier
- The Huskies finished with six players in double-figures for the second time this season and have had five or more in double-figures seven times
- Clingan has blocked a shot in all 27 games he has appeared in this season and has 19 games with multiple swats
- Spencer's eight assists mark a new career-high, topping his previous high mark of seven set three times including at Georgetown on Feb. 10
- Connecticut is now 5-0 at Madison Square Garden this season
Up Next
The Huskies will face the winner of No. 4 Seton Hall and No. 5 St. John's in Semifinal action on Friday at 5:30 on FOX.
