Notes & Quotes: Clingan's return lifts No. 1 UConn over No. 18 Creighton

STORRS, Conn. - With 11:42 left in the first half of Wednesday night’s marquee matchup against Creighton, a long-awaited moment arrived: Donovan Clingan checked into the game.

He’s one of the most dominant defensive players in college basketball but hadn’t played since suffering a right foot injury early in the second half of the Dec. 20 game at Seton Hall.

Four weeks (and five UConn wins) later, he was out for warm-ups and got the green light to take on Ryan Kalkbrenner and the Bluejays.

UConn’s big man was back but on a time limit, something he dealt with earlier this season as well. He played 15:31 off the bench, with 10 of those coming in the second half. His impact was immediate, even in five minutes of action in the first half.

The score was 12-12 when Clingan checked in. Just 2:36 later, he checked out and UConn was up by nine.

“Defensively his ability to protect the rim is elite,” Creighton head coach Greg McDermott said. “It’s not just the ones he blocks, it’s the ones you don’t take because he’s there.”

Clingan checked back in with 5:55 left in the opening half, and UConn up six. He grabbed two offensive rebounds, swatted two shots, and put back one of those offensive rebounds for his first bucket, checking out with 3:27 left and the Huskies up eight.

“It’s so much easier on defense because if you know if you missed something or have a back door cut, you have a giant who’s going to block it,” Alex Karaban said.

The Huskies took a 32-21 lead into the break, and it only grew across the second half, getting to 22 as the visitors had just 30 points with 7:23 left in the game. They finished with a season-low 48 points.

It wasn’t just Clingan. All seven players in the main rotation were committed on that end of the floor. Despite the Huskies’ rough shooting night (35% FG, 26% 3FG), the Bluejays were worse (34% FG, 23% 3FG) with their numbers improving late as they fought to turn a blowout into a less-severe loss.

“The defense, I thought, looked like a vintage performance for us,” Hurley said.

The Huskies crushed the boards with a 48-32 advantage, posting their third-best defensive rebounding percentage and seventh-best offensive rebounding percentage of the season.

Clingan and Samson Johnson combined to hold Kalkbrenner, Creighton’s seven-footer and one of the top big men in the Big East, to 11 points — almost five below his average.

“We are a tremendous offensive team, and with Donovan back, we’re going to become more dangerous and better at both ends of the court,” Hurley said. “With Donovan back it’s going to change everything.”

The Bluejays’ top two scorers, guards Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander were shut down. Scheier picked up 10 of his 12 points in garbage time and Alexander finished with six as those two shot a combined 7-of-26 from the field. Steven Ashworth led them with 14 points but did it on a 5-of-15 shooting performance.

Ashworth was 2-of-8 from three as these three shooters combined to hit just 5-of-16 from deep.

Here’s a deeper look at the Huskies’ win.

What Went Well

Donovan Did the Work: Hurley shared that around 4:30 p.m. the decision was made to bring Clingan back after missing five games with a foot injury. At the request of his head coach, Clingan dropped about 10 pounds and committed to his rehab so he could get back on the court.

Dan Hurley: “He really wanted (to play). His foot feels great and he was on a minute restriction today. It was 10-15 minutes and he got to 15, so we just have to hope he wakes up tomorrow and his foot feels like nothing.”

Donovan Clingan: “It was really my decision. My coach and I talked and it was just right. I felt I could go out and give it my all. … After the game I have no soreness or nothing to worry about, so I feel good.”

Back to Basics: The Huskies had been struggling on the glass coming into the game, but they reverted to form by dominating both ends of the floor. UConn held a commanding 21-6 lead on offensive rebounds, with guards Newton and Diarra leading the way with eight apiece. Cam Spencer and Hassan Diarra each had six. Creighton managed just five second-chance points to UConn’s 19. 

Hurley: “The scene under the basket didn’t turn into a tag team wrestling match. We were able to get off bodies and just go get the ball. We had a really brutal film session the last few games in particular and we challenged the manhood of these guys, the warrior spirit. We didn’t like being embarrassed the way we’ve been on the backboards.”

Creighton head coach Greg McDermott: “We’re not necessarily built at a couple of positions to win those 1-on-1 battles, but it’s something we talked about for three days. You have to figure out a way to win those. … You have to go to them, if you let them come to you you’re going to lose those battles around the rim.”

Dirty Work: Castle might have had an off night on the offensive side shooting 2-for-12, but the freshman didn’t let it stop his defensive effort. For much of the game, he was guarding Scheierman, who came in with 133 more college games on his resume than Castle. In the second half, the freshman also hit a three-pointer as the shot clock expired which can perhaps help build confidence on that end.

Hurley: “To play him with the discipline and the obsession of where he was on the court … I thought Steph did a really, really good job there.”

A Few Good (Big) Men. Samson Johnson shook off a few inconsistent performances to mostly stay out of foul trouble and play 23 minutes in a game where the Huskies needed him to be available. He finished with four points, three rebounds, and a block and gave solid effort defensively to help keep Kalkbrenner in check.

Newton Gets It Done. The fifth-year guard continues to be the Huskies’ leading distributor, with five assists on the day. His playmaking got them through the early minutes and Newton also grabbed eight rebounds as well. He’s one of the best on the team at getting to the free-throw line but seems to absorb a lot of contact in Big East play without many fouls being called. Nevertheless, he finished with 16 points, going 2-of-3 from the charity stripe.

What Needs Work

Shooting. This was not the Huskies’ best shooting night, as they finished 25-70 from the field. In the first half, Alex Karaban started 0-for-5 from the field and Stephon Castle was 1-of-8 as the team was 3-of-12 (25%) from three. Karaban finished with 13 points and their shooting numbers improved slightly in the second half, but this game was a bit of a rock fight thanks to Creighton’s defense and some good looks for UConn that didn’t go in.

MISC. NOTES

The Huskies are ranked No. 1 during the regular season for the first time since March 2, 2009. … UConn improved to 22-3 at home when ranked No. 1, including 12-1 at Gampel Pavilion. … This is the first time a UConn-Creighton game has been won by double digits. … UConn’s immensely popular $2 Beer Night ensured a lively environment in the arena. … The promotional cans were sold out before tip-off. … The Huskies are 44-6 under Dan Hurley at Gampel Pavilion and have won 24 of the last 25 in their on-campus home. … UConn improves to 4-1 against ranked teams this season and now holds an eight-game home winning streak in conference play.

Up Next

UConn visits Villanova on Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

The Wildcats are 11-6 on the season and sit 27th in KenPom (37th offensively, 39th defensively). UConn is currently fifth in overall efficiency (3rd offensively, 33rd defensively).