On April 4, Beijing time, the NCAA National Championship final began, and the No. 4 seed University of Connecticut defeated No. 5 seed San Diego State University 76-59 to win the fifth championship in team history. It is worth mentioning that the Connecticut team has reached the final 5 times in its history, winning all 5 times. Sarnogo had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Newton had 19 points and 10 rebounds. Connecticut led by as many as 16 points, and San Diego State narrowed the gap to five points at one point, but still lost. Connecticut became the first national champion in 42 years to win all tournaments by at least 13 points per game, the last being Indiana University in 1981.
Connecticut also became only the second No. 4 seed in NCAA history to win a championship, the last time being the University of Arizona in 1987.
Connecticut and San Diego met in the Sweet 16 of the National Championship 12 years ago, when Kemba Walker scored 36 points to lead Connecticut to knock out Kawhi Leonard's San Diego State. 12 years later, Xiaoka's alma mater has no chance to take revenge.
Statistics
San Diego State Great: Johnson 14 points and 4 rebounds, Trammel 13 points, 3 rebounds and 3 steals, Butler 13 points and 4 rebounds, Bradley 8 points and 3 rebounds
Connecticut: Sarnogo 17 points and 10 rebounds, Newton 19 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals, Hawkins 16 points and 4 rebounds, Jackson 3 points, 6 assists and 2 steals, Calaban 5 points, 3 rebounds and 2 blocks
Race tidbits
Connecticut's NBA alumni rushed to help, and Walker, Guy, Lamb, Okafor, Villanueva and others took photos. Ray Allen also appeared on the sidelines.
Hawkins smashed the ball with a one-handed dunk, and the ball flew directly to the backcourt!
Highlight moments
Hawkins hit a free throw to score the first goal of the final!
Butler salutes back by three points!
Clegan dunks empty!
Newton turned around and scored a throw, and he scored seven straight points to help Kangda open the gap.
Bradley dangles Jackson and hits a shot!
Trammel steals and layups to score!
Match Review
In the first half, Hawkins hit a free throw to give Connecticut the lead. San Diego quickly returned to the color, Butler and Trammel hit three consecutive threes. Thanogo scored four straight points, Clegan took a dunk, and Connecticut went on a 10-0 run to go up by six points. Johnson hit two free throws to break a six-minute scoring drought at the University of San Diego. Araine hit a free throw, Hawkins hit a layup and hit another 3-pointer to give Connecticut a 12-point lead. Trammel hit a free throw, Newton scored seven straight points, and Connecticut extended the gap to 16. Johnson and Trammel hit a free throw to give Connecticut a 36-22 lead over San Diego State at halftime.
In the second half, Bradley swung his opponent and hit a mid-range shot. Sanogo scored on a layup. Calaban hit a three-pointer, Butler scored a layup, Seko hit a three-pointer, and San Diego still trailed by 10 points. The two sides frequently walked to the free throw line, Leddy hit a free throw, Clegan scored a layup, Butler and Kargata scored three points against each other. Leddy scored four straight points, Johnson hit a three-pointer, Tramall made a steal and layup, and San Diego State went on a 9-0 run. Thanogo scored on a layup, Butler made a steal and Johnson hit two free throws, leaving San Diego just five points behind. Hawkins hit a three-point shot to help Connecticut stabilize the situation. Newton scored four straight points, Hawkins scored a layup, and in the end, Connecticut defeated San Diego State University to win the championship.
Both sides start
San Diego Great: Trammel, Bradley, Butler, Johnson, Mensa
Connecticut: Newton, Hawkins, Jackson, Calaban, Thanog