UConn hold off late San Diego St. surge to claim fifth national title

The Connecticut Huskies are national champions once more after defeating the San Diego State Aztecs 76-59 in Houston to cap off one of the most dominant NCAA tournaments in recent memory.

They became just the sixth team since 1985 to win all six of their NCAA tournament games by double-digits.

It marks the fifth national title in school history which now has them tied alongside Duke and Indiana for fourth-most in NCAA history.

San Diego State hit their first two three-point attempts of the night to begin their maiden NCAA Championship appearance with a bang before Connecticut tightened the screws to build a lead as high as 16 points in the first half.

The Aztecs’ offence went stagnant after their hot start with a field goal drought extending beyond eight minutes plaguing their ability to stay within reach of the game.

After making their first two threes, they went on to miss 17 of their next 21 against an elite Huskies defence.

The Aztecs – who erased a 14-point lead against Florida Atlantic University in the Final Four – refused to yield, however, and cut the Connecticut lead to just five with 5:19 remaining in the second half.

The night belonged to Dan Hurley’s Huskies, however, who won the school’s fifth national title in 24 years to cement their legacies among the powerhouses of college basketball.

Guard Tristen Newton led the way for Connecticut finishing with a game-high 19 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists whilst Malian bigman Adama Sanogo – who was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player – had 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Jordan Hawkins put up 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting whilst Joey Calcaterra hit two threes off the bench.

For San Diego State, Keshad Johnson finished with a team-high 14 points and four rebounds whilst Final Four hero Lamont Butler added 13 points and two assists.

UConn’s historic March Madness run began with a 24-point win over Iona followed by a 15-point win over Saint Mary’s, a 23-point win over Arkansas, a 28-point win over Gonzaga and a 13-point over Miami (FL).