Fueled by its championship pedigree, No. 5 UConn made the most of its 3,000-mile trip to Seattle in a 76-63 statement win over No. 10 Gonzaga.
SEATTLE — If there was ever a test too tall for the reigning national champion UConn Huskies, a 3,000-mile road trip to face 10th-ranked Gonzaga in a late-night showdown seemed like an obvious letdown spot.
With many of its fans back home fighting the drowsiness of a 10 p.m. Eastern tipoff, No. 5 UConn cruised to a 76-63 victory in front of a heavy Gonzaga contingent in Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena. The dominant performance marked UConn’s remarkable 27th nonconference win in 28 tries dating back to the start of last season.
The Huskies’ ability to answer Gonzaga’s mini-scoring runs largely quieted Bulldogs fans to a hush throughout the evening. Donovan Clingan set the tone early with four buckets before the first media timeout in a game UConn never trailed. Both teams traded baskets throughout the remainder of the half until a quick 8-0 surge stretched a two-possession game into a 13-point Huskies lead in the blink of an eye.
Gonzaga’s Ryan Nembhard opened the second half with a layup to cut it to a nine-point UConn advantage, but the Huskies retained a double-digit lead the remainder of the night following a Tristen Newton bucket just 25 seconds later.
UConn head coach Dan Hurley credited the players who shined during last year’s national title run for their resilience throughout the evening.
“The guys who were involved in [stopping Gonzaga’s momentum] were the guys who were champions last year,” Hurley said. “They have that pedigree and confidence and calmness on the court to just execute. When you play in front of 75,000 people (at the Final Four) and play your best ball, as great as that crowd got at times today, those experiences certainly help you when you get into these moments.”
Donovan Clingan shines in Seattle
Clingan, who finished the night with 21 points to lead UConn, powered home an alley-oop with 2:27 remaining to push the Huskies lead back to 12. It was yet another instance of the Huskies silencing the local crowd as soon as Gonzaga appeared to be on the cusp of game-changing momentum.
Entering the season as one of the most hyped players in America, Clingan delivered a statement performance by going 8-of-11 from the floor with several crowd-hushing baskets. The 7-2 big man has been nursing a September foot sprain and shared in the postgame press conference that he just recently started waking up without any pain. But even despite the lingering ailments, Clingan thrived in gaining low-post positioning against Gonzaga’s frontcourt to find easy looks near the basket.
On the other end, Clingan took star Gonzaga center Graham Ike out of the game with his lanky frame and impressive instincts for a player of his stature. Ike entered the night averaging a team-high 14.2 points but was held to just five points on a 2-of-5 mark from the floor.
“The difference between last year’s team and this year’s team is the defensive intensity, and the identity and to win a game by getting stops,” Hurley said.
“We won it with defense, which is big. It’s what elite teams do.”
UConn now turns its attention to Big East play after closing out a 10-1 nonconference slate that featured quality wins over Gonzaga, North Carolina, Texas and Indiana — all of which came at neutral sites. The Huskies have shown no signs of a championship hangover in their pursuit of a sixth national title.