GLENDALE, Ariz. — In the end, the U-Conn Huskiesristen were simply too good, too, gig and too dominant for the Purdue University Boilermakers.
Tristen scored 20 points and 5 rebounds while Stephon Castle added 1 and 5 assists to lead U-Conn to an impressive 75-60 finale that sealed their second straight NCAA championship Monday night in front of a crowd of 74,423 at State Farm Stadium.
Despite hitting only 6-of-22 from 3-point range, the Huskies shot well on the field overall, 30-of-62 for a high 48.4 percent. UConn also topped the rebounds battle, 35-28 and dominated the assists category, 18-10.
But it was their swarming, clogging defense that held Purdue to just 44.4 percent from the field (24-of-54) abd ab abenic 1-for-7 from 3.
Zach Edey, the 7-foot-4 AP Player of the Year, led the Boilermakers with a dominant 37 points and 11 rebounds. But it wasn’t enough to dethrone the Huskies’ march to history.
UConn won its sixth overall title and joined the 2006-07 Florida Gators and the 1991-92 Duke Blue Devils as the third team to repeat since UCLA’s dynastic run in the 1960s and 70s.
“I just think it’s the best two-year run in a very, very long time, just because of everything we lost from last year’s team,” Huskies coach Dan Hurley told reporters at his post-game press conference.
The 2024 Huskies are the sixth team to win all six tournament games by double-digits, conquering the opposition by a combined margin of 140 points. margins.
In search of its first-ever NCAA crown, the Boilermakers entered the title game with an imposing 34-4 record.
“They just made a decision — we can defend the perimeter, and we can take this away from you, you’re going to get the ball to your best player, he’ll be 1-on-1, and that’s that,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said of UConn’s strategy to allow Edey to get his points but limit the rest of Purdue’s guys.
“We knew if we keep them below 18, 20 points as a group, and they had no chance to win, no matter how well Zach played,” Hurley added.
