UConn’s Last Second Surge Over San Diego State Secures NCAA Championship Win

UConn had a good game plan and were trying to make it hard for San Diego State to score. UConn thought San Diego State wouldn’t give up easily because their defense was really strong. But then, UConn got tired from defending too much, and the game ended up being an easy win for them in the end.

UConn had a great start and pulled away after San Diego State’s attempt to hold them back, finally winning 76-59 on Monday night! Jordan Hawkins, one of UConn’s guards, said no matter what they go through, everyone will work together.

The Huskies from UConn were so impressive that the fans wondered if it was safe to keep watching and they built up a 16-point lead against San Diego State. The Aztecs tried hard to fight back and almost got the lead down to five points with five minutes left in the game. But UConn kept battling, eventually building up their lead again until they had the fifth double-digit win since 1985 in the NCAA Tournament.

The UConn basketball team won their fifth championship which matches Duke and Indiana. It’s been five years since they last won a title, and the coach for this win was Dan Hurley. He’s added to his family’s legacy by this victory and he is proud of it.

Hurley stated that due to his passionate coaching style, people tend to focus more on his personality than his entire career achievements.

The Huskies were in great shape from the start, just as they had been for their last five NCAA Tournament games.

Adama Sanogo was able to push through and score quickly, putting pressure on the Aztecs who either had to defend against him or team up on him. UConn’s guards also used their skills to get into the paint and shoot open jump-shots or pass out for three pointers.

On defense, the Huskies were dominating; blocking shots, jumping into lanes and defending shots all over the court.

Sanogo, Adam Karaban, and the tall freshman Donovan Clingan made it difficult for the Aztecs to get anywhere near the rim. Nathan Mensah even chose not to take a shot at an open jump hook and instead passed it off to a teammate who was surprised. After that, Hawkins scored with a 3-pointer which increased UConn’s lead to 26-14.

Although the Aztecs were able to shoot their shots, they just could not make any of them. The streak lasted for 11 minutes and 7 seconds in which San Diego missed 14 consecutive shots, making UConn’s lead extend to 36-20.

San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher was frustrated because the other team was tall. In the second half of the game, his team worked to slow things down and stop easy shots for their opponents and take away drives into their lane. Even though, their tactics were successful, UConn still had a 10-point lead because none of San Diego State’s shots were going in. Finally, by playing too aggressively, they were able to get back into the game.

San Diego State got control of the ball multiple times, leading to baskets that made the team even more confident. Even though they were down by at least 8 points in their previous 3 games, they caught up again this time with a 9-0 run, making it 56-50 and getting everyone excited.

Adam Seiko from San Diego State said: “We knew we weren’t done even when we were losing. We’ve been here before this year.”

Playing in the tough Big East had gotten the UConn team ready for what was about to happen. Hawkins scored a 3-pointer that caused everyone from UConn’s side to cheer, and those from San Diego State’s side felt deflated. This gave the Huskies confidence, so they put together nine points quickly, making it tougher for the Aztecs to make a surprising come back.

San Diego State’s latest attempt to turn the game around didn’t work, so they weren’t able to get their first ever national championship title. The Huskies stayed in the lead with a big score difference making it impossible for the Aztecs to catch up, allowing Hurley to celebrate even before everyone else cheered. This meant that the Huskies had rightfully earned the national championship title.