It was a phenomenal showing for the UConn men’s basketball team, who rose to the challenge in a double-digit victory over the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the Continental Tire Seattle Tip-Off, 76-63.
One of the biggest things to take away from Saturday evening’s win was the impact of Donovan Clingan on both sides of the ball. From the very beginning, the Bristol native got to work and led his team to an early 11-4 lead. That immediately put pressure on Gonzaga to respond and while Ryan Nembhard put in a ton of work on the offensive end, it was time for them to have a bigger answer.
That answer came in the form of Anton Watson. The senior forward played a massive role in shrinking UConn’s lead over his squad to a mere two points with 10:11 to go. He was hitting shots all over the court, whether it was beyond the arc or at the free throw line for easy points. Nonetheless, the edge that the Bulldogs possessed was lost shortly after courtesy of the play of a familiar weapon for the Huskies roster.
Throughout this season, Cam Spencer has proven that he’s one of the best shooters in the nation across the court and his play on Saturday evening certainly showed that. The Rutgers transfer poured in 13 points on five shots with just one missed jumper. With the help of Spencer, UConn pounced on the Gonzaga defense and extended their lead to double-digits shortly before the half was completed.
With a 45-34 lead going into the half, Connecticut had plenty to be happy about, but the game was far from over. The biggest thing that the squad struggled had to do with their battle on the boards, as the Bulldogs had a 16-8 rebounding advantage in that department. It was unacceptable that couldn’t keep up with the effort of the Bulldogs there and that had to be a huge point of emphasis in the final 20 minutes.
The momentum was on their side and as soon as the half started, UConn came out guns ablaze. In the first four minutes, the program missed just two shots and saw their lead climb to 18 with 16:27 to go. But, there’s a reason that coach Mark Few has the No. 10 team in the nation and the Bulldogs demonstrated their resilience in the final 16 minutes of this ballgame.
While many fans in the buildings were ready to call this one decided, Gonzaga battled back to make it a 62-51 game. It certainly wasn’t particularly close, but it definitely made it a bit more uncomfortable for this Huskies unit. Shortly after, it was a 10-point game and Connecticut needed to end any hope of an answer from the Bulldogs.
It wasn’t Spencer or Clingan this time. Instead, the energy on this final drive from UConn came from Hassan Diarra. On two consecutive possessions, No. 10 was involved. First, he found Clingan on an emphatic alley-oop slam, followed by a clutch layup on his team’s next offensive opportunity.
From there, the No. 5 team in America closed out the game, and when the final buzzer sounded, Connecticut added another massive win to their loaded resume.
“We’ve got so much respect for Gonzaga and their program and Mark Few. One of the truly elite coaches,” said Hurley.
For Clingan specifically, the UConn sophomore finished with an impressive 21 points and 8 rebounds in a dazzling performance. He expressed that his game condition has improved since dealing with a foot injury to start the season.
“The past couple of days finally waking up and not being sore and feeling 100% was something that really gave me a lot of confidence,” said Clingan.
Two of the biggest difference-makers for this program have been its defensive identity and the play of the second unit. If you combine both of those factors into one, that’s Diarra and Hurley expressed plenty of praise for his senior guard.
“He’s a difference maker. I think the one thing that we’ve been harping on with the difference between last year’s team and this year’s team is that defensive intensity. That identity. To be able to win a game by getting stops,” said the UConn coach.
For now, as a 10-1 team in America, the Huskies are holding their heads high as they enter into an incredible slate of Big East competition. As one of three ranked teams in the conference, there’s going to be plenty of battles for the program throughout the season.
The first of those battles start in Connecticut’s next game on their schedule on Wednesday, Dec. 20th at the Prudential Center.