NEW YORK – For the eighth time in program history, the UConn men's basketball team (31-3) won the BIG EAST Tournament championship with a 73-57 win over Marquette (25-9) on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. Donovan Clingan posted a dominant 22-point, 16-rebound double-double and Tristen Newton had a 13-point, 10-assist double-double of his own in the win.

For his efforts over three games, Newton was named the David Gavitt BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player. He averaged 17.0 points, 8.0 assists and 6.0 rebounds per game in the three wins. With his 10 assists on Saturday night he became the first player to record double-digit assists in a BIG EAST title game since Pearl Washington in the 1986 final.

Clingan also made history in the win, becoming the first player with a 20-15 double-double in a BIG EAST title game since Patrick Ewing in 1984. Clingan also tied Ewing's BIG EAST Tournament final record with 16 caroms.

UConn's eight BIG EAST Tournament titles now pull the Huskies into a tie with Georgetown for most in league history. Head coach Dan Hurley made BIG EAST history in the win, becoming the second man (Ewing) to win the Tournament as both a player and coach.

The Huskies overcame a sluggish first half in the victory, shooting 30.0 percent from the floor in the opening stanza before ripping off a 63.0 percent mark in the second frame. In addition to Clingan and Newton atop the scoresheet, Hassan Diarra and Jaylin Stewart each chipped in nine points off the bench.

How it Happened

Both teams started ice cold, combining to go 1-for-14 ahead of the first media timeout. Midway through the first half a Hassan Diarra steal-and-score put the Huskies up 7-6 after a defensively charged first 10 minutes. The rock fight continued for the duration of the first half, with Newton hitting a 3-pointer at the 3:41 mark to give UConn its largest lead at 19-15.

The Golden Eagles briefly re-took the lead late in the first half, before another Newton 3-pointer in the waning moments of the opening stanza gave Connecticut a 26-24 halftime advantage. Clingan recorded a first half double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in the opening 20 minutes.

The offense began to open up in the second half, and a three-point play for Clingan before a Stephon Castle basket inside forced a Marquette timeout at the 14:06 mark with the Huskies leading 37-33. Ahead of the under-eight stoppage, Newton buried another 3-pointer and put the Huskies up 47-41.

That triple was part of an 8-0, allowing UConn to open up its largest lead of the night at 52-41. Moments later, Stewart canned his third trifecta of the game and forced a Marquette timeout with 6:39 to play and the Huskies up 55-44.

Overall the run would push its way to 13-3, with a Diarra triple giving Connecticut its largest lead of the day at 60-44. The Huskies would not allow the Golden Eagles back within single-digits the rest of the way.

Inside The Numbers

• UConn finished the day 26-of-57 (45.6 percent) from the floor, 7-of-24 (29.2 percent) from 3-point range and 14-of-17 (82.4 percent) from the free throw line
• Conversely, the Huskies held Marquette to 21-of-54 (38.9 percent) from the field and 6-of-18 (33.3 percent) from 3-point range
• Clingan's 22 points came on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor and an 8-of-11 effort from the free throw line
• The Huskies dished out 21 assists on 26 field goals, eclipsing the 20-assist mark in all three BIG EAST Tournament games
• Connecticut out-scored Marquette 36-24 in the paint and 22-15 in bench scoring

News and Notes

• The 2024 BIG EAST Tournament title joins previous UConn titles in 1990, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004 and 2011
• Clingan became the first player with at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in a BIG EAST Tournament title game since Patrick Ewing had 27 and 16 in the 1984 title game
• Newton's double-double was his 10^th of the season
• The double-double for Clingan was his fourth of the season and the eighth of his career
• With his 16 rebounds, Clingan set a new career-high and tied the record for most rebounds from a player in a BIG EAST Tournament title game
• Clingan's 20-point effort was his third of the season
• The Huskies hit the 20-point mark in bench points in all three of their games at the BIG EAST Tournament
• Clingan has blocked a shot in all 29 games he has appeared in and has multiple swats in 21 contests

Up Next

The Huskies will await their NCAA Tournament selection tomorrow, with the Selection Show airing at 6 p.m. on CBS.