April 8 (UPI) — UConn Huskies defenders sustained a breathless intensity, cooling the Purdue Boilermakers’ sharpshooters en route to a second-consecutive men’s basketball national championship Monday in Glendale, Arizona.
Senior guard Tristen Newton led the Huskies with 20 points in the 75-60 win at State Farm Stadium. Senior center Zach Edey, the two-time National Player of the Year, scored 37 points for the Boilermakers (34-5).
“All year we made it our goal to go back-to-back and that’s what we did tonight,” Newton, who was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, said on the TBS broadcast.
The Huskies (37-3) are the first team since the 2006 and 2007 Florida Gators to win consecutive titles. They are the eighth overall program to accomplish the feat.
“We just recruit really talented NBA [level] players that are willing to not make it about themselves and to be a part of a winning group and be a part of all the championships,” Huskies coach Dan Hurley said.
The Huskies outshot the Boilermakers 48.4% to 44.4% and held a 35-28 edge in rebounding, including 14-9 on the offensive glass. They also outpaced their foes 18-8 in assists and 44-40 in points in the paint.
The Boilermakers, who entered the game with the second-best 3-point percentage (40.5%) in the nation, shot just 14.3% (1 of 7) from downtown against the Huskies’ aggressive defense.
The first half featured five lead changes, with the Boilermakers’ offense running through Edey while the Huskies used a more balanced attack.
Edey scored 16 points over the first 20 minutes, including a run of 11-consecutive for the Boilermakers. Newton scored 11 in the first half for the Huskies.
The Boilermakers took a 23-21 lead 8:08 before halftime. The Huskies quickly answered with an 11-2 run for a 36-30 lead at the break and never trailed again.
They added a 6-0 run to push their lead to 13 early in the second half. The Boilermakers then went without a field goal for a four-minute stretch, which allowed the Huskies to increase their advantage to as many as 18.
Freshman guard Stephon Castle scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half of the victory. Senior guard Cam Spencer and sophomore center Donovan Clingan chipped in 11 points apiece.
