NEW YORK – The UConn men didn’t take Stetson lightly … And they didn’t take the Hatters down lightly, either.
Friday’s 91-52 win in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center marked UConn’s widest margin of victory in an NCAA Tournament game since beating 16-seed Chattanooga, 103-47, in the first round of its 2009 Final Four run.
The No. 1 overall seed Huskies scored the game’s first eight points and ran out to a 23-4 lead through the first 10 minutes, overpowering the 16-seed Hatters in every facet. The lead grew to as many as 36 with just over three minutes left in the first half after All-American point guard Newton lobbed his fourth alley-oop of the game, this time to Samson Johnson for the slam.
UConn went into halftime ahead 52-19, which marked the program’s largest halftime lead (33 points) in its NCAA Tournament history.
Newton finished with 13 points and eight assists as coach Dan Hurley emptied the bench with four minutes left, all starters scoring in double figures. Donovan Clingan dominated inside with 19 points (9-for-11 from the field) and eight rebounds, Cam Spencer scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half and Alex Karaban finished with 12, nine in the first half. Stephon Castle added 14 with five rebounds and four assists.
UConn, beginning its bid for back-to-back national titles, shot 22-for-32 from the field and 7-for-14 from 3-point range in the opening period.
Stetson, making its first tournament appearance, was just 8-for-26 in the first half and 1-for-10 from beyond the arc, where it ranked 28th in the nation entering the dance. The Hatters made a run early in the second half, 14-3 over 3:35, and cut their deficit to 25, but UConn returned to form defensively and held them without a made field goal for more than four minutes.
The Huskies finished the game shooting 53% from the field, 9-for-24 from beyond the arc, while holding Stetson to just 31% and 3-for-19 from deep.
UConn is 20-4 in NCAA first round games since seeding began in 1979.
The Huskies will meet 9-seed Northwestern in the Round of 32 on Sunday at a time still to be announced. The Wildcats advanced after beating Florida Atlantic, a Final Four team last season, 77-65 in overtime behind a combined 49 points from guards Ryan Langborg and Boo Buie.
