No. 1 UConn defeats No. 5 San Diego State; earns 2nd straight Elite 8 berth

BOSTON, MA (WFSB) - The University of Connecticut men’s basketball team defeated a familiar foe on Thursday night.

The top-seeded Huskies dispatched the fifth-seeded San Diego State Aztecs 82-52 at the TD Garden on Boston.

UConn jumped out to a 25-16 lead with just under 12 minutes to go in the first half. They did it with defense.

However, the Huskies cooled off. Donovan Clingan missed a number of shots from point blank range.

The Aztecs had it back to within 4 points with about 1:50 to go in the half. It was UConn 35, San Diego State 31.

UConn’s Cam Spencer carried the team to the half with a floater and a 3 pointer. Over the first 20 minutes, he tallied 16 points and 3 rebounds.

At the half, UConn led 40-31.

The Huskies extended the lead to open the second half. At just under the 16 minute mark, they led 47-35.

Stephon Castle woke up during the second half. He helped the lead grow to 55-39 by the 11:20 mark.

The team also nearly doubled up San Diego State in the rebound battle.

Hassan Diarra chipped in off the bench with several timely buckets to put the Huskies up 62-44 with 8:40 left.

Tristen Newton hit a three to put UConn up 71-45 with 4:30 to go in the game. He finished with 17 points and 7 rebounds.

Spencer put in 18 points and grabbed 5 rebounds.

Castle had a double-double with 16 points and 11 boards.

How fans watched

The game aired on TBS and truTV, both of which required cable subscriptions.

It was also available to stream on Max for those who subscribe.

The March Madness Live app offered free streaming. All that was needed was an internet connection.

Radio listeners were told to find it on the UConn Sports Network, FOX Sports 97-9.

Watch parties were also planned.

A pregame reception was planned in Boston at 4:30 p.m. The location was only revealed to those who register.

As has happened all tournament long, Kinsmen Brewing Company in Southington and Two Roads Brewing on Stratford scheduled parties.

How they got there

UConn arrived in Boston earlier this week and held practices.

The team earned double-digit victories over both of its first two opponents at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The Huskies defeated 16th-seeded Stetson University 91-52 in the first round last Friday.

On Sunday, they beat 9th-seeded Northwestern University in the round of 32, 75-58.

In the win over the Wildcats, Newton had 20 points and 10 assists. Donovan Clingan scored 14, grabbed 14 rebounds, and had a career high of eight blocks. UConn said Clingan became one of three players in NCAA Tournament history to post such a statline, joining David Robinson in 1986 and Hakeem Olajuwon in 1983.

The wins gave UConn its second straight Sweet 16 berth.

The team has been calm, and as coach Hurley likes to say, “locked in” to each situation.

The Aztecs, meanwhile, rolled past Yale University 85-57 on Sunday.

UConn was 2-0 all time against San Diego State. The wins included last year’s national championship and a Sweet 16 victory led by Kemba Walker in 2011.

As of Thursday night, the Huskies were 3-0 against the Aztecs.

This year, while on paper the Aztecs weren’t supposed to be as talented, coach Dan Hurley isn’t allowing his team to underestimate this opponent.

“Since that championship game we’ve both got to our finals of the conference tournament and obviously coming back from that game last year we both gotten to this game again so lot of respect for San Diego State,” he said.

“I think we are prepare for any type of game, we work on our offense and defense they are going to have to do more than just play defense,” said freshman forward Jaylin Stewart.

What’s next

The Huskies will play third-seeded Illinois in the Elite 8 on Saturday at 6:09 p.m.

Stay with Channel 3 for complete coverage of UConn’s NCAA Tournament run.