UConn storms into Final Four with breakout second half, 77-52 win over Illinois

BOSTON – UConn men’s basketball is storming back to the Final Four.

The reigning national champs blasted third-seeded Illinois in the second half on Saturday, turning a five-point lead into 30 in a flash behind the dominance of Donovan Clingan, and advanced to the program’s seventh national semifinal, second in a row, with a 77-52 win in TD Garden.

Illinois had no answer for Clingan on either end of the court as UConn’s star finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks.

Alex Karaban scored all 10 of his points in the second half as Cam Spencer recorded his first double-double of the year with 11 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Hassan Diarra provided a critical boost off the bench and finished with 11 points, three rebounds and handful of disruptive defensive plays.

The 25-point win set an NCAA Tournament record as the Huskies won their 10th consecutive tournament game by double digits, surpassing Michigan State’s previous record of nine in a row from 2000-01.

“We’re going to be tough to beat,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “It was a special level of basketball that we were playing.”

Clingan set the tone early, scoring the first seven points of the game as he patrolled the paint on defense with Spencer outguarding stretch center Coleman Hawkins and Stephon Castle handling star Terrence Shannon Jr. He was credited for two first-half blocks but affected several other shots, and Illinois went scoreless through the first 4 minutes.

The Illini started to climb back with a scoring burst from point guard Marcus Domask, who hit a pair of 3s while Clingan took a short rest, but once he returned Illinois went scoreless for a 5-minute stretch.

The Huskies didn’t shoot it well, either, just 10 for 30 from the field (33.3%) over the first 20 minutes. They missed their first 10 attempts from beyond the arc before Diarra landed one from the right wing to break a 23-all tie. Tristen Newton, 0 for 6 in the first half, made a pair of free throws to put the Huskies up 28-23 at halftime.

Clingan put UConn up 12 after stuffing an Illinois dunk attempt with one hand and then slamming one of his own, forcing an Illinois timeout less than 3 minutes into the second half. The Huskies hit another gear and continued to dominate behind Clingan and Karaban, who flushed a two-handed dunk through a foul in transition and caused the “Storrs North” crowd to erupt.

UConn scored 25 consecutive points to start the second half, continuing a 30-0 run over 8½ minutes. The Huskies led by 30 before Illinois scored its first points more than 7 minutes in and grew the lead to 31 with just under 12 minutes to go.

UConn (35-3) is now 7-6 in the Elite Eight.

The Huskies will meet Alabama, the No. 4 seed in the West Region, in the national semifinal on Saturday.

“It’s not about really trying to win No. 6 or go back-to back,” Hurley said.

“It’s this time of year, you love your team and you can’t imagine what it would be like to not get up the next day and still coach your team.

“It’s what you learn when you win the way we’ve won: It really is about the work, the journey, the process.”