GLENDALE, Ariz. — UConn has defeated Purdue 75-60 in the national championship at State Farm Stadium. The Huskies are the first back-to-back champions since the Florida Gators in 2006 and 2007 and Duke in 1991 and 1992 before that.
UConn was led by fifth-year guard Tristen Newton, a First-Team All-American, who scored 20 points. On Saturday, Newton won the Bob Cousy Award as the top point guard in Division I. He had perhaps his best performance of the NCAA Tournament on Monday.
Freshman guard Steph Castle added 15 points, and sophomore center Donovan Clingan scored 11, as did fifth-year guard Cam Spencer.
UConn dominated the competition in the NCAA Tournament, winning by an average of more than 23 points per game. The 140-point margin of victory is the greatest in March Madness history. Over the course of the past two tournaments, UConn won every game by at least 13 points.
The title is the sixth in program history, and the second for head coach Dan Hurley. He reflected on the moment in the postgame press conference.
"What can you say? We won by a lot again," Hurley said, crediting his assistant coaches. "I think it's up there in terms of maybe the greatest two-year run a program's had... I just think it's the best two-year run in a very long time just because of everything we lost from last year's team. To lose that much (five out of the team's top eight scorers), and to do what we did again has got to be as impressive a two-year run as a program's had since prior to whoever did it before Duke and Florida because they brought back their entire teams, and we lost some major players."
For Purdue, two-time Naismith National Player of the Year Zach Edey scored 37 points. No other Boilermaker had more than 12. Purdue entered as the best three-point shooting team in the country but only attempted seven threes in this game, making only one.
At the start, UConn and Purdue came out battling, trading baskets over the course of the first several minutes. The score was tied at seven when Clingan slammed one down. UConn led 11-9 at the first media timeout, carried by Spencer’s seven points.
Early on, Edey did the damage for Purdue, scoring against Clingan in what promised to be an epic matchup. Ten of Purdue’s first 11 points came in the paint. A Newton three with 14 minutes to go in the half gave UConn a 14-11 lead. Edey tied the score at 16 with an and-one finish, plus the free throw, with 12:19 left in the first half. UConn led 18-16 at the second media timeout in a clash of titans. Edey had 11 points.
A Hassan Diarra three-point shot gave UConn a three-point lead at the 10-minute mark, but Purdue proceeded to tie the game at 21. Purdue took the lead at 23-21 on an Edey hook shot with eight minutes remaining in the half. He had 14 at that point. Newton tied the game at 23 with a layup, and the score was tied at the third media timeout.
Clingan came out of the break with an and-one finish at the rim. UConn took a five-point lead at 30-25 entering the final media timeout of the half. A Castle floater out of the timeout gave the Huskies a seven-point lead, but Purdue quickly responded with five straight points, including their first three, forcing a UConn timeout.
Out of the timeout, Newton hit a jumper to give UConn a four-point lead. After a Purdue timeout, and a block by UConn's Alex Karaban, Castle hit a put back to put UConn up six points. UConn led 36-30 at the end of the first half.
At the break, Edey had 16 points. Newton led a balanced UConn attack with 11 first-half points.
A Newton three to open the second half gave UConn its largest lead at nine, but Purdue came back with a quick bucket. UConn was undeterred, as Castle came down the court and hit a layup. UConn led 43-34 at the first media timeout of the second half.
Out of the timeout, a slam by Sampson "Slamson" Johnson put UConn up 11. He made the same exact play the next time down the court, putting UConn up by 13. Purdue responded with four straight until Spencer drove to the basket to put the lead back to 11, and a Newton bucket brought it up to 13 again at the second media timeout of the second half, although UConn was battling foul trouble. Johnson had four, Clingan had three and Spencer had three fouls at that point. Only Johnson would ultimately foul out.
A three-point field goal by Alex Karaban and a layup by Hassan Diarra extended UConn's lead to 16 with just under 10 minutes left in the game, leading to a Purdue timeout, as the Huskies created separation. A Castle three proceeded to put UConn up 17 at the third media timeout of the half.
Purdue and UConn traded buckets for the next several minutes, and the Huskies led by 17 with 5:38 to go in the game. A Spencer fadeaway with five minutes remaining put UConn up 18. UConn led by 16 at the final media timeout.
Free throws by Newton advanced the lead to 18, but consecutive buckets by Purdue cut the lead down to 13. It wasn't enough. More free throws by Newton brought the lead back up to 15.
When the buzzer sounded, the final margin remained the same. UConn defeated Purdue 75-60 to win back-to-back national titles.
Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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