Notes & Quotes: A record-setting night against New Hampshire

A few Husky shooters had an off night, but Donovan Clingan was on point.

The big man from Bristol scored a career-high 29 points (12-13 FG) to lead No. 4 UConn over New Hampshire 84-64 on Monday at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn. The Huskies (7-0) won their NCAA-record-setting 24th straight non-conference game by double digits, snapping a mark previously held by the 2008-09 North Carolina squad.

“It’s great to share a record with the men from last year’s team,” UConn head coach Dan Hurley said. “The men from this year’s team and the men from last year’s team - such great men. … It’s great to share something with them that I think will be tough to break moving forward.”  

Cam Spencer and Tristen Newton (10 rebounds) each added 17 points and Samson Johnson had 10 points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench. Outside of the starters and Johnson, UConn scored just two points, from Jayden Ross. Jaxson Baker led UNH with 20 points.

With Solo Ball (1-6), Alex Karaban (0-6), and even Newton (0-5) struggling from behind the arc, the Huskies still won by 20. On the night, UConn shot a season-low 45.7 percent from the field and had its worst three-point shooting game of the season. It helped that they out-rebounded the Wildcats, 49-28.

Hurley and players also expressed a need for tighter defense, as UNH hit 8-of-12 threes in the first half and took advantage of some assignment errors and turnovers in the second half.

Next up, the Huskies have some of their biggest non-conference matchups on the schedule back to back.

“I think we’re ready,” Hurley said post-game, referring to the upcoming matchups against Kansas and North Carolina. “It’s gonna be fun, where we’re at now, playing against other programs vying to be at the top of the sport.

Here’s a closer look at Monday’s record-setting victory:

What Went Well

1. Inside Muscle: Clingan was 12-for-13 from the field and scored 24 of the team’s 52 points in the paint. Equally as impressive was he was 5-for-7 from the foul line. Johnson scored his 10 points on an efficient 4-for-5 from the field as well.

   Head coach Dan Hurley: He got fouled a bunch, but only shot seven free throws… On almost every shot he took, it was almost like Shaq (O’Neal) in a way. He probably could have had five, six, seven three-point plays. … He was dominant.

   Donovan Clingan: It definitely felt good to see the ball go in … but I just feel as a team we have to be much better for what’s coming on Friday.   

2. Veteran Backcourt: Newton and Spencer combined for 34 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists. The two were making sure the big men got fed early on, and then became more involved on the scoring front in the second half. On a day where threes weren’t falling, Newton stayed assertive in other ways, taking nine free throws and dishing out seven assists. Spencer was also a calming presence with the ball and the only player who hit multiple threes for UConn, finishing 3-of-7 from deep.

3. Rebounding and Defense. Despite his offensive evolution, Dan Hurley and his teams are able to win games on the strength of tenacious defense and rebounding. Despite allowing UNH to hit 75% of its first-half threes, and 50% of its shots overall in the first half, the visitors finished 36% from the field and 50% from three on the night. This is because Clingan and Johnson were erasers down low, combining for three blocks but altering countless others.

   Hurley: We made some plays defensively, we were more active, we tried to pressure more. 

What Needs Work

1. Off the Mark: UConn shot 14.3 percent from three (4-for-28). Aside from Spencer, the rest of the team was 1-for-21 from behind the arc.

   Hurley: Those were wide-open 3s that we missed. These guys need to get in the gym. They need to get off their phones, get off the video headsets. They need to get in the gym because those were wide-open looks.

2. Diarra Fouled Out: Hassan Diarra has provided a big lift off the bench for the Huskies, especially in the last few games. It wasn’t his night against the Wildcats, he had zero points in 14 minutes with two turnovers before fouling out. He also had three steals and tied for the lead in +/- at 19 so it wasn’t all bad.

   Hurley: He can’t play like he did today. I thought he resorted back to last year, just a little reckless. He may be the most important player on the team, maybe. Alex had a night to forget, Tristen and Cam weren’t very efficient … but Has might quietly be the most important player on the team. We need good decisions, we need really good on-the-ball defense. We need a stabilizing veteran player.

3. Plodding Finish: Instead of blowing this game open in the second half, the Huskies allowed UNH to hang around. The Wildcats went 15-for-29 at the foul line in the second half after not even going to the line once in the first 20 minutes. UConn also turned the ball over nine times in the second half.

   Hurley: To get up 27, 28 and have a chance to get that up into the 30s… Obviously disappointed in the last 10 minutes – [they] were excruciating.

MISC.

UConn led by as much as 28 in the second half. … Clingan made his first 10 field goal attempts. … Spencer hit his 200th career three-pointer in the game. … It was Newton’s eighth double-double as a Husky. … Freshman Stephon Castle missed his fifth straight game with a knee injury, which was expected to sideline him 2-4 weeks. Castle is scheduled to visit the doctor on Tuesday for the injury. “It depends on how the healing goes and how the medical stuff goes,” Hurley said about Castle returning for games against Kansas or North Carolina.  … UConn moved up one place in the latest AP poll to fourth. 

Up Next

Friday, at No. 5 Kansas, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)