Notes & Quotes: UConn overwhelms Northern Arizona

STORRS, Conn. - With the 2023 national championship banner safely nestled in the rafters, the UConn Huskies began their chase for number six with a bang.

Led by Alex Karaban’s career-high 22 points, the Huskies rolled to a 95-52 victory over Northern Arizona in front of a sellout crowd Monday at Gampel Pavilion. They held a 47-30 lead at halftime and ramped up the defensive intensity in the second half to end it with a comfortable win.

“Happy to get that first one under our belts,” said head coach Dan Hurley.

Tristen Newton added 14 points while grabbing seven rebounds. Clingan added 12 points with a team-high eight rebounds in his first career start, playing 15 minutes having just recovered from a foot injury that kept him out of preseason practice.

“It felt good to be out there with my guys, I’ve only been back a week now,” said Clingan. “It was a great feeling.”

Samson Johnson combined with Clingan to dominate the Lumberjacks down low, as UConn outrebounded them, 50-27, and the two blocked three shots each. Johnson finished with 11 points and five rebounds, though he did commit four fouls including two quick ones in the first half.

“There’s a lot to learn from tonight and a lot to be happy about. I’m just happy with our win,” Clingan said.

Freshman Stephon Castle added 12 points in his Husky debut, demonstrating why he had such elite billing as a recruit. Cam Spencer finished with eight points and a team-high five assists in his first regular-season game for UConn after transferring from Rutgers.

Hurley improved to 6-0 in season openers with the Huskies, who are 91-30 all-time in season debuts. They never trailed in this game.

What Went Well

1. New Big Three. With Jordan Hawkins, Andre Jackson, and Adama Sanogo off to the NBA, a new trio looked ready to shoulder the load. Clingan went to work early in the paint, scoring nine of the team’s first 21 points. Karaban was scoring from every level (8-of-12 shooting, 3-of-6 from three, seven rebounds) and Newton attacked from the foul line (6-for-7) providing a steady presence.

Hurley: “We need jumps from all these guys in order to be a program that’s going for big things this year.”

2. Spencer the “Story of the night”. In his UConn debut, Cam Spencer was great in the backcourt. The former Rutgers star was 2-for-3 on 3-pointers with a team-leading five assists and one turnover in 28 minutes.

Hurley: “The best thing I saw tonight was how Cam approached it. He has the credentials coming in with all the scoring and all the production in his career, but his willingness to take three shots and just elevate the play of everyone around him … that was the story of the night.”

3. Samson Time. With Clingan on limited minutes returning from injury, Samson Johnson had his chance to shine. He seized the moment with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting, five rebounds, and three blocks off the bench. All five of his baskets were dunks, including a nice alley-oop from Spencer early in the game.

Clingan: “He had a great summer. He came off the bench today and had a lot of lob dunks, blocked a lot of shots, and rebounded the ball very well. He's going to be a very important factor for us this year if we are going to do what we want to do.” 

What Needs Work

1. Freshmen Focused. It was a mixed debut for the heralded new Huskies. Stephon Castle demonstrated a lot of talent but also had three turnovers. Solomon Ball (two points, 1 of 5 shooting), Jaylin Stewart (five points, three rebounds), and Jayden Ross (0 points, two rebounds) all saw decent time off the bench.

HURLEY: “The freshmen at Gampel and the place is rocking, then add on top of that the emotional, the banner, just added to the electricity and the moment. But I thought in the second half those guys settled in better and it was good they got one under their belt.”

2. Charity Work. The Huskies had a huge advantage at the foul line, but didn’t hit enough, including Clingan who went 4 of 9. Overall, the team hit 64.9 percent (24-for-37) from the free-throw line. It might not matter now, but it’s something that needs to be tightened up.

3. Defensive Intensity. The Huskies allowed the Lumberjacks to shoot 41 percent in the first half, as the visitors notched a few buckets that were easier than Hurley probably wanted in the first half. They got it fixed though, NAU hit 26 percent of its shots in the second half.

Win Probability

This one was never in question.

Via KenPom.com

Misc. Notes

Prior to tip-off, the Huskies unveiled their fifth national championship banner. Included in the pregame ceremony were video messages from Sanogo, Hawkins, Jackson and guard Joey Calcaterra. … UConn wore special white championship warm-ups for the game. On the right sleeve was a collection of pins that included five small national titles, the team motto “Everything,” another with “In the mix for six” and also a “We season” pin, which was a slogan from last year’s team. … The Huskies’ starting five were Karaban, Clingan, Castle, Newton, and Spencer. … Among the notables in attendance were Jim Calhoun, Charlie Villanueva, Kevin Freeman, Chris Smith, former assistant coach Howie Dickenman, and Hurley’s father Bob Hurley. … This was the first-ever meeting between the schools. … The announced crowd of 10,299 is the largest in Gampel Pavilion history.

Up Next

Saturday, vs. Stonehill, at the XL Center in Hartford, noon (FS2)