Connecticut pulls away from Marquette to take Big East championship

The day before the NCAA Tournament field is announced was the appropriate time for teams to make their final arguments to the selection committee. Connecticut didn’t let the opportunity get away.

With their chief competitors — Houston and Purdue — already falling in their conference tournaments, the Huskies got an opening to snare the overall No. 1 seeding, and they made a strong case in the Big East Tournament championship game on Saturday night.

No. 2-ranked and top-seeded Connecticut broke away from 10th-ranked and third-seeded Marquette in the middle of the second half and, behind standout play from Tristen Newton and Donovan Clingan, rolled to a 73-57 win before a UConn-heavy sellout crowd of 19,812 at the Garden.

Defending national champion UConn (31-3) has won seven straight and 21 of its last 22 games.

“What we did in the non-conference, what we did in the conference regular season, then what we just did in the conference tournament I think is the best that anyone’s done,” Huskies coach Dan Hurley said. “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.”

Clingan finished with 22 points and 16 rebounds and Newton had 13 points, 10 assists and five rebounds to lead Connecticut. Clingan joined Patrick Ewing as the only players to record at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in a Big East Tournament championship game. Ewing had 27 points and 16 rebounds against Syracuse in 1984.

Kam Jones had 13 points and David Joplin 12 for the Golden Eagles, who shot a combined 9-for-29. Marquette star Tyler Kolek missed his fifth straight game with an oblique injury and was on the bench in street clothes.

Connecticut is the Big East Tournament champion for the eighth time and the first time since Kemba Walker led the Huskies to the crown in 2011 en route to the national championship. The Huskies are 8-3 in the Big East final.

Marquette (25-9) had its winning streak snapped at three games. The Golden Eagles will have all-conference first-teamer Kolek back from his oblique injury for the NCAA Tournament and are very likely to garner a No. 2 seed when the field is announced.

There were six lead changes in the first nine minutes of the second half — bringing the game total to 15 — before UConn began to break away. Jaylin Stewart sank a three-pointer from the corner to give the Huskies a 44-39 lead with 10:18 to play, beginning a 19-5 run capped by Hassan Diarra’s three-pointer off Newton’s pass for a 60-44 lead with 5:54 left. At that point, the celebration in the stands was on.

In the deciding run, Stewart had all of his nine points on a trio of three-pointers and Newton had five points and three assists.

“It just feels amazing,” Newton said of the run. “Everybody runs and everybody can score. Just share the ball and it’ll be like that.”

The Huskies shook off an unsightly first half and shot 63% after halftime, recording 15 assists on 17 made baskets during the final 20 minutes.

Newton hit a three-pointer from the top of the arc just before the halftime horn for a 26-24 lead. UConn survived shooting 30% in those first 20 minutes with defense that held the Golden Eagles to 32% shooting.

“There’s just not a lot of holes in the way that we play,” Hurley said. “We’ve got great offense, rebound the ball and we’re an elite defensive team. We play so hard.

“We’re deep and we’re deep with NBA players that are unselfish and about winning. These guys have done this with a huge target this year. We’ve gotten everyone’s best game the entire year and, for what this group has done this year, it’s been just a special season to this point.”

By Roger Rubin

roger.rubin@newsday.com@rogrubin

Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.