HOUSTON — Adama Sanogo and Tristen Newton recorded double-doubles and Jordan Hawkins nailed a timely 3-pointer late in the second half as UConn won its fifth national championship by defeating San Diego State 76-59 on Monday.
Sanogo paired 17 points with 10 rebounds while Newton tallied 19 points and 10 rebounds as the fourth-seeded Huskies (31-8) claimed their first national title since 2014 by finishing 17-0 against nonconference foes. Sanogo was selected as the Most Outstanding player in the NCAA Tournament.
Hawkins added 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting and UConn finally put away the fifth-seeded Aztecs by hitting 21 of 23 from the free-throw line in the second half.
UConn matched Duke and Indiana for the fourth-most national titles in NCAA Tournament history, behind UCLA (11), Kentucky (eight) and North Carolina (six).
The Huskies won all six of their NCAA Tournament games by double figures, becoming the fifth team to accomplish that feat. The others were Michigan State in 2000, Duke in 2001, North Carolina in 2009 and Villanova in 2018.
Keshad Johnson paced the Aztecs (32-7) with 14 points while Lamont Buter and Darrion Trammell scored 13 points apiece.
UConn led by 12 at halftime, and the first 10 minutes of the second half was a foul-plagued slog. The Huskies were in the bonus with 13:04 remaining, and they appeared on the brink of pulling away when Joey Calcaterra stroked a 3-pointer for a 56-41 lead at the 9:50 mark.
The Aztecs fashioned one last hurrah, utilizing a 9-0 run to slice the deficit to six with 7:40 left. Houston native Jaedon LeDee scored twice in the paint before Johnson hit a 3-pointer that cut the deficit to single digits for the first time since the 5:25 mark of the first half.
Hawkins responded with a crucial trey after the Aztecs pulled to within five, and the Huskies delivered down the stretch at the free-throw line to finally stave off a determined Aztecs effort.
–MoiseKapenda Bower, Field Level Media