After a slow start for the second year in a row for the University of Connecticut, Donovan Clingan and company ensured a five-game winning streak.
No. 9 seed Xavier surged to a 10-0 lead over the defending national champions Thursday afternoon in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals.
The Huskies fought back, but led by just one point at halftime, with UW winning 87-60.
Clingan, a 7-foot-2 sophomore center from UW, was mostly limited in the first half, scoring just two points on 1-of-3 shooting.
“I was just trying to find any way I could to help the team,” he said of his first-half performance, which included three rebounds and two assists. “Whether it’s protecting the rim, protecting the paint, sharing the ball, rebounding, whatever I have to do. I wasn’t playing my game offensively in the first half.
Clingan, who could be a lottery pick if he turns pro this spring, was quiet until the start of the second half, but burst into flames as soon as University took a 10-point lead and ended the game.
The big man scored 11 straight points for the Huskies, starting a 20-4 run that wiped out Xavier.
Clingan credited his teammates for the goal, saying they found him when he had an opening.
“I saw a lull,” said Clingan, who had 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists. “When I was sitting pin-down, my release to the rim was open because I was running around the ball screen and popping up to the shooter.” Told. And 2 blocks. “Seeing guys pop out or slide to the rim and roll really helped me. When I get open, my teammates find me and put me in position to score the ball. They put me in position. It’s all thanks to my teammates.”
UW coach Danny Hurley also noticed Clingan stepping up his game in the second half.
“He’s a gentle giant. He’s a jolly green giant,” Hurley said. “Sometimes he levels up the intensity or gets sarcastic. He’s such a sweetheart. And yeah, he changes it up and gets furious.”
The Huskies will play No. 5 seed St. John’s in Friday’s semifinals.
UW has not reached the Big East Tournament finals since returning to the conference, losing in the semifinals three years in a row by a combined eight points.
