Tristen Newton records triple-double in No. 1 UConn’s win over Villanova

UConn Athletics
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STORRS – On the night it retired the No. 32 of the legendary Richard “Rip” Hamilton, the No. 1 UConn men’s basketball team (25-3, 15-2 BIG EAST) bounced back emphatically with a 78-54 win over Villanova (15-12, 8-8 BIG EAST) on Saturday night at a sold-out Gampel Pavilion. The 24-point win over the Wildcats is tied for the largest margin of victory for UConn in the history of the 75-game series.

Cam Spencer (Davidsonville, Md.) led the Huskies with 25 points in the win, while Tristen Newton (El Paso, Texas) extended his UConn-record with his fourth triple-double of the season. The current active leader in triple-doubles finished with 10 points, a career-high 16 rebounds and 10 assists.

The Huskies dominated defensively in the triumph, holding Villanova under 35 percent shooting and out-rebounding the Wildcats by 14. Joining Spencer and Newton in double-figures for Connecticut were Stephon Castle (Covington, Ga.) with 14 and Donovan Clingan (Bristol, Conn.).

How it Happened

The two sides traded early blows in a defensive tussle, with neither side taking a lead of more than a possession until a Spencer 3-pointer capped a 9-0 run and gave Connecticut a 17-10 lead at the 7:45 mark of the first half. The Huskies would take their largest advantage of the first half at 29-19 with a Newton 3-pointer inside of two minutes in the frame, prompting a Villanova timeout.

Connecticut went on to take the double-digit advantage into the break, leading 31-21 at intermission. The Huskies held VU to 30.0 percent shooting and out-rebounded the Wildcats by 10 in the opening period.

Early in the second half, a 7-0 Villanova run trimmed the UConn lead to 38-33 and forced a timeout at the 14:57 mark. Midway through the half with the score back within five, six-straight from Spencer sparked an 8-0 run that pushed the Husky advantage to 53-40 and forced a VU  stoppage at the 9:46 mark.

Overall, the UConn run would extend to 14-1 and give the Huskies their largest lead of the day at 18. Connecticut was able to hold that double-digit lead the rest of the way, continuing to stifle VU’s offense and dominate the glass. The only remaining drama came from Newton completing his triple-double, coming via an assist in the final minute on an Alex Karaban 3-pointer.

Inside The Numbers

  • UConn shot 42.9 percent (24-56) from the floor and 31.3 percent (10-32) from 3-point range, while stifling Villanova to the tune of 33.3 percent (21-63) and 12.5 percent (3-24) marks

  • Spencer’s 25 points came on a hyper-efficient 9-of-13 effort from the floor and a 5-of-8 mark from 3-point range

  • The Huskies finished with a commanding 46-32 edge on the glass

  • UConn dished out 14 assists on 24 field goals, led by Newton’s 10

  • Connecticut finished with a 11-0 edge in second chance points, a 13-4 advantage in bench points and a 18-4 margin in fast break points

  • The Huskies shot 90.9 percent (20-22) from the free throw line

News and Notes

  • UConn improves to 36-39 all-time against Villanova in a series dating back to 1941 and has now won four-straight against the Wildcats

  • The Huskies are now 15-0 this season at home, including a perfect 7-0 mark at Gampel

  • Connecticut has won 26 of its last 27 games at Gampel

  • The triple-double for Newton was his second this season and the fourth of his career, the most among all active Division-I players

  • Spencer notched his seventh 20-point game of the season and tied his UConn-high with 25 points

  • The double-double for Newton was his second-straight and eighth this season

  • Newton set a new career-high with 16 rebounds, recording the first 15-rebound game for a Husky since Tyrese Martin grabbed 16 on March 5, 2022 vs. DePaul

  • Clingan has blocked a shot in all 23 games he has appeared in

  • Dan Hurley has now recorded back-to-back 25-win seasons for the second time in his career, also accomplishing the feat in 2016-17 and 2017-18 at Rhode Island

  • Overall Hurley has now posted five 25-win seasons across three schools

Up Next

The Huskies will have a full week off for their second bye, returning to action on Sunday, March 3 for Senior Day at Gampel against Seton Hall.

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