Notes & Quotes: UConn overwhelms St. John's

NEW YORK CITY — A lot of things went right for St. John’s on Friday night.

The Red Storm got UConn bigs Donovan Clingan and Samson Johnson into foul trouble, with both getting two early fouls and playing just 15 minutes combined in the first half. Clingan got his third in the first minute of the second half.

Johnnies’ star guard Daniss Jenkins scored 10 points in the first four minutes as he began 5-of-7 from the field. They started the game with a 7-0 lead and Steph Castle, an elite perimeter defender, was also in foul trouble, sitting for the final 12 minutes of the first half.

If you want to beat these UConn Huskies (30-3), that’s the way to do it. Rick Pitino’s squad fought hard in the second half, finishing with 90 points, the highest total by a Husky opponent all season. They chipped away at a lead as big as 14 points, bringing it down to six in the final minutes.

But UConn shot 63 percent in a first half where it led by as much as 10. Hassan Diarra, Johnson, and Jaylin Stewart provided a spark off the bench while Tristen Newton continued powering the engine with 20 points in the first half alone on his way to a team-high 25.

To finish the game strong, Johnson scored all six of his points in the second half, throwing down two nice alley-oops to get the crowd going. Karaban came alive in the second half as well, scoring nine of his 14 points in the final 20 minutes.

Oh yeah, Cam Spencer also scored 20. He and Newton had nine assists each.

“We showed that we can win any type of game,” Hurley said.

That’s what Dan Hurley’s Huskies do. They overwhelm their opponents. They have five future pros in the starting lineup and they don’t let up when they go to the bench. St. John’s and Xavier are the latest victims. Seton Hall, Villanova, and Marquette all lost to UConn by 24 or more points in February or March.

“They do it all the time,” Pitino said. “You think you’re in the game. You’re up one to two at halftime, ten-minute mark, you’re only down four or six… and they win by 25, happens all the time.”

UConn now looks ahead to the Big East championship game, a first in the Dan Hurley era in a year where many “firsts” are occurring and records are being set. A third meeting with Marquette awaits.

“We’re going to treat it like it’s the Super Bowl,” Hurley said.

Here’s a closer look at Friday night’s performance:

What Went Well

Shooting. Despite a rough rebounding and defensive performance, UConn persevered thanks to a lights-out 63 percent shooting performance in the second half. In consecutive halves, going back to the St. John’s game’s second half and this first half, UConn shot 22-of-28 (79%) and 17-of-27 (63%). That’s a 69.6 percent shooting percentage in a full game’s time. Ball movement has also been key to getting these great looks. In the last two games, the Huskies notched an assist on 29-of-35 (83%) and 23-of-31 (74%) made baskets.

Karaban: We continue to move the ball, and continue to pass up good shots for great shots.

Pitino: The biggest problem was our transition defense, they were 8-of-9 in the first half.