NEW YORK, NY — When the halftime buzzer sounded off this past Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden, a sold-out crowd of 19,812 fans divided amongst navy blue apparel in support of UConn and red to cheer on St. John’s, saw the defending and reigning NCAA Men’s Basketball champion Huskies, trailing the Red Storm 37-36.
Not a significant deficit, but one that had all of those in the building, and those watching from home, anticipating an intense back and forth throughout the second half. However; what transpired was UConn, currently ranked No. 1 in the country, showing their “championship DNA,” as Huskies head coach Dan Hurley reiterates in timeouts, and secured a 77-64 win — their 10th consecutive victory, and 20th on the season.
"We've been incredibly strong! We've been incredibly strong rebounding the ball!"
Dan Hurley has us ready to run through a wall EVERY TIME! @UConnMBB 💪 pic.twitter.com/pph1LrjUu5
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 3, 2024
“We knew St. John’s would make some runs, and they had the lead at halftime,” Hurley said in the postgame. “We knew we were going to have to go to hell and back to win the game today and had to be at our very best to beat these guys.”
With approximately 13:36 to go in regulation, the Huskies were down by one and put their best foot forward, making that the last time they trailed. UConn guard Cam Spencer, a graduate student, led the way in that momentum shifting run, and overall, compiled a game-high of 23 points — shooting 7-13 from the field, 5-7 from three-point land, and 4-4 from the free-throw line. Spencer was on the court for all, but 41 seconds (39:19 played).
In addition, his Huskie guard teammates, Stephon Castle and Tristen Newton, were as dynamic as they come on the hardwood. Castle had a career high 21 points in the victory while Newton finished three assists shy of a triple double — 18 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists.
THE UCONN DYNAMIC DUO 🤞 @UConnMBB@D1Tristen with the twirl and give to @StephonCastle! pic.twitter.com/y79mGZeyPL
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 3, 2024
As a whole, UConn was able to execute on the boards, out rebounding St. John’s (38 to 23). Spencer, Castle, Newton, among others, forced their size in the paint, and in result, got to the free throw line on 22 occasions — banking 20 of them, which is good for an impressive 90.9% clip.
“They’re better than us,” St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino said on No. 1 UConn following the loss. “And those key plays, not only when we were down by three or four, but when it gets to eight or ten against a team that shoots free throws like this, you’re gonna lose the game.”
Head coach Rick Pitino and the Red Storm during a timeout against the defending NCAA Men’s Basketball champs UConn Huskies on Saturday February 3rd at Madison Square Garden – Image Credit: St. John’s Men’s Basketball
When asked about the team’s overall confidence level after the loss, Pitino stated: “I just told the guys ‘they’re number one in the country, they’re better than us. That doesn’t mean you can’t beat the number fifteen team. They’re the number one program in the country, and we hope to get there someday, but they’re better than us.’”
For the Red Storm, their top-scorer in the loss was Daniss Jenkins, finishing with 19 points (5-12 FG, 3-7 3PT, 6-7 FT) to go along with six assists. The graduate guard, who transferred from Iona University last year, was successful for three-of-the-four three pointers made by the Johnnies, while RJ Luis Jr. (11), and Chris Ledlum (10), each contributed with double figures in the scoring column.
BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK 3'S‼️ pic.twitter.com/FelMCoCtZF
— St. John's Men’s Basketball (@StJohnsBBall) February 3, 2024
What’s Next for the Huskies and Red Storm?
No. 1 UConn (20-2 overall, 10-1 in BIG EAST)
The Huskies will host the Butler Bulldogs (15-7 overall, 6-5 in BIG EAST) on Tuesday night, February 6th, at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut – tip-off set for 8:30 PM ET, television coverage on FOX Sports 1.
St. John’s (13-9 overall, 5-6 in BIG EAST)
The Red Storm look to snap their two-game losing skid this Tuesday night, as they go up against the DePaul Blue Demons (3-19 overall, 0-11 in BIG EAST) at UBS Arena located in Elmont, NY – tip-off set for 6:30 PM ET, television coverage on FOX Sports 1.
Robert Rizzo is a journalist and editor of Latino Sports – Email: RobertRiz994@gmail.com
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