NCAA: UConn Defeats SDSU in 76-59 Victory
DALLAS, TX — It was a compelling March Madness. After six riveting games and 240 minutes of pure dominance that ran through March, then part of April, the University of Connecticut still managed to look unstoppable under coach Dan Hurley’s guidance. And it became clear they were, in fact, unstoppable after defeating San Diego State University by 17 points. Although the Huskies made it look easy, it certainly was not. UConn’s towering star forward, Adama Sanogo, won Most Outstanding Player honors, finishing with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the final. Sanogo’s defense was also notable as he started early with a block in the paint, sending the crowd wild.
The game got intense late in the first half when UConn built a 16-point lead. The Aztecs trimmed the lead to five points with 5:19 left. But Jordan Hawkins scored 16 points and answered with a 3 to trigger a 9-0 run shutting down the Aztecs’ momentum. Tristen Newton also had a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
“We knew we were the best team in the tournament going in, and we just had to play to our level,” said Huskie’s coach Dan Hurley.
The best, indeed, coach. Dan Hurley joined Jim Calhoun and Kevin Ollie as the third coach to lead UConn to a title. What makes this story even better is UConn started the year unranked. But the Huskies persevered and beat San Diego State to complete a dominant six-game run to the program’s fifth NCAA championship! Impressive.
