Best of the Beast: UConn men check next box, beat Marquette, 73-57, for eighth tournament title

NEW YORK – A second half 3-point flurry from freshman Jaylin Stewart helped top-seeded UConn pull away to beat No. 3 Marquette, 73-57, and claim its eighth Big East Tournament championship in a sold-out Madison Square Garden Saturday night.

No team led by more than four points until Stewart, who finished with nine points, hit a corner 3-pointer midway through the second half to put UConn up five. He knocked down two more 3s, scoring nine consecutive UConn points over the next 3 1/2 minutes, delivering a critical blow as the Huskies went up 11.

“It’s every kid’s dream to do that in a game like that,” he said. “For me to do it, I’m super blessed and grateful.”

After that, Donovan Clingan turned into “Cling Kong,” as teammate Alex Karaban put it, and was too much for the Golden Eagles to handle.

The sophomore center led the team in what was a rock fight most of the way with a monster 22 points and 16 rebounds. Earning a spot on the All-Tournament team, Clingan was the first player since Patrick Ewing in 1984 to post at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in the title game.

“Tonight I realized I had to attack the glass as best I can and I was just trying to be as strong as I can and finish through contact,” said the Bristol native. “I’m just here trying to impact the game in any way I can, play the best defense I can and just try to help my team win.”

Tristen Newton, named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, provided 13 points, 10 assists and five rebounds. Stewart and Hassan Diarra each finished with nine a piece off the bench.

UConn (30-3) is 8-3 all-time in championship games, and has tied Georgetown for the most Big East Tournament titles.

Head coach Dan Hurley is also the second person, with Georgetown’s Ewing, to win the Big East Tournament as a coach and as a player (Seton Hall, 1993).

“It’s a privilege, as a player and a coach, to be a part of this storied league,” Hurley said. “MSG, Big East Tournament, there’s nothing like it conference tournament-wise, there’s just no comparison anywhere to what this place is like. Just to be a part of the history and tradition with some of the coaches and players that have won championships in this league is an awesome feeling.”

It is UConn’s first Big East Tournament title since 2011.

Both teams combined to start just 1-for-17 from the field and Marquette’s 2-0 lead held through the first six minutes and 33 seconds.

UConn, after starting the game 0-for-8, scored its first points on a dunk from Samson Johnson at the 13:27 mark, which tied the game at two. Johnson took a handoff from Cam Spencer and threw down again eight minutes later to give the Huskies a 14-12 lead.

Clingan had a double-double in the first half with 10 points and 10 rebounds, a few which came on his own misses. Newton, the only Husky to make a 3-pointer in the first half, sent the rock fight to halftime with his second deep ball, putting UConn ahead, 26-24.

Clingan dunked all over Marquette’s Ben Gold and drew a foul six minutes into the second half. And, after an Oso Ighodaro turnover, Marquette’s eighth of the game, Stephon Castle finished a layup that gave UConn a 37-33 lead and forced a Marquette timeout.

Then it was Stewart’s time to take over.

“He deserves every moment right now, he deserves the credit, he deserves everything because he really opened up the game for us and got us that run,” Alex Karaban said. “I told him, ‘You won us this championship and I appreciate you so much for that.'”

It was a 16-3 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Hassan Diarra, that put UConn ahead by 16 with less than six minutes to go. Clingan scored five consecutive UConn points to counter Marquette’s attempt to close the gap as the clock wound down.

“Game three, third day, we’re both championship programs that played with a level of desperation and urgency, but we were eventually able to find a rhythm and get the separation,” Hurley said. “I think that’s what makes the team special. Most teams in our situation – Cam has four, Steph has six, Alex has six but most of them came late – most teams lose on nights like that, where three of your best players don’t have good offensive games, but that’s what makes this team special.”

UConn made 63% of its shots in the second half and 5 of 13 from beyond the arc after shooting just 30% from the field and 2-for-11 from deep in the first.

The Huskies, with Houston and Purdue each losing in their respective conference tournaments on Saturday, are presumably in line to hear their name called as the No. 1 overall seed on Sunday.

“We’ve done a lot of historic things,” Hurley said. “We’ve never gotten the No. 1 overall seed in program history, this is a group that seems to be making history in a place that’s hard to make history… What we did in the conference regular season, what we just did in the conference tournament, I think is the best that anyone’s done through those three parts of the season.

“We’ve been the best team in college basketball. Obviously March Madness next week, who knows what goes on there, but we’ve clearly been the best program in the country this year.”