The UConn Huskies put together a balanced team effort on Saturday to outlast the Illinois Fighting Illini 71-62 and reach the national championship.
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Both offenses got off to a rather slow start, but Tarris Reed Jr. and Braylon Mullins helped the Huskies find their rhythm on the offensive end.
For Illinois, their offense continued to lag behind, only staying in the game with short scoring bursts from Keaton Wagler. UConn held on to an eight-point lead at halftime as Illinois only recorded one assist in the entire first half.
Both sides struggled to score yet again in the early moments of the second half, but UConn had the edge in most offensive metrics and built a 13-point advantage with just over ten minutes to go.
The Fighting Illini quickly abandoned the three-point shot and shifted their focus towards pounding the paint. While they found some success in doing so and getting to the free throw line, they struggled to stop UConn from scoring on the other end.
With eight minutes to play, Illinois locked down on defense while consistently getting to the line on the other end. In just three minutes, the Fighting Illini had gone on an 10-0 scoring run to cut the lead to four.
Down the stretch, Mullins knocked down a dagger three for his first points of the second half. Wagler swiftly responded with a three of his own to remain within four.
With less than 40 seconds to go, Silas Demary Jr. sank two clutch free throws to extend the advantage to six before Jayden Ross knocked down one of two attempts to make it a seven-point game. Reed’s two free throws sealed the nine-point win.
Reed led the way for UConn with 17points and 11 rebounds while Solo Ball had 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting.
For Illinois, Wagler put up 20 points and eight assists while Tomislav Ivisic finished with 16 points and seven rebounds.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
