Connecticut
Marquette runs into wall in Big East tournament final. Now Golden Eagles need to get healthy.
NEW YORK – It was always going to be a tall task for the Marquette men’s basketball team in the Big East tournament championship game on Saturday night.
The Golden Eagles were playing their third game in three days, all without their most important player in floor general Tyler Kolek. The first two games were grueling, physical affairs that left many MU players limping and bandaged. Oh, and the Golden Eagles were playing one of the best teams in the nation in second-ranked Connecticut, which boasts a matchup nightmare in 7-foot-3 behemoth Donovan Clingan.
So it wasn’t surprising that the third-seeded Golden Eagles, ranked No. 10 in the country, ran out of gas in a 73-57 loss to the top-seeded Huskies at Madison Square Garden.
“I thought our guys had phenomenal fight,” MU head coach Shaka Smart said. “Went toe-to-toe with a team that’s probably played better than anyone in college basketball.”
Box score: Connecticut 73, Marquette 67
Donovan Clingan too much to handle
MU held Connecticut scoreless for the first six minutes and 33 seconds. But MU only had a 2-0 advantage by the time the Huskies scored a field goal.
The Huskies finally clicked into gear, and they shot 17 for 27 (63%) in the second half to pull away.
“Just running out of steam,” MU’s David Joplin said. “I think we guarded them extremely well the first half, and we just have to keep up those same efforts throughout the game. It just made it difficult as time went on.”
Clingan finished with 22 points and 16 rebounds. He is the first player since Georgetown legend Patrick Ewing in 1984 to have at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in a Big East final.
“He puts you in a bind as a team defensively because it’s hard to guard him with one guy,” Smart said. “And the way we defend pick-and-rolls, sometimes smaller guys get on him, and that’s a problem. But he does that to a lot of people.”
Oso Ighodaro joins other banged-up Marquette players like Stevie Mitchell
MU won the Big East tournament last season, and this season the Golden Eagles players and coaches have said the most important thing is a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
How healthy the Golden Eagles will be when they play next week is the biggest question, with the roster largely made up of the walking wounded.
“When you play in this league with the physicality with which teams are allowed to play, there’s going to be a lot of different bumps and bruises and things that come up,” Smart said.
Kolek, the unanimous all-Big East first-team player and likely consensus All-American, sits atop the list of concerns. He missed his sixth straight games since suffering and oblique injury on Feb. 28, but Smart said before the Golden Eagles opened Big East tournament play “the plan is absolutely for him to play next week.”
Another injury cropped up on Saturday when big man Oso Ighodaro banged his left knee in the second half. Smart pulled Ighodaro with just over seven minutes remaining as a precaution.
“He was struggling getting up and down the floor, so I took him out because he didn’t look like he was moving well,” Smart said.
Ighodaro did not want to make a big deal about it.
“I’m good,” Ighodaro said in the MU locker room. “I just hit my knee a little bit. I’m good”
MU starting guard Stevie Mitchell was wincing as he moved around the locker room. He played with his left shoulder wrapped after taking a wicked hit while drawing an offensive foul against Providence in the semifinals Friday.
“Warrior,” Smart said. “That’s the status update on him. He’ll probably play in our next game. Not probably, almost definitely. But he’s also banged up. He’s got an assortment of different things.”
The injury report doesn’t stop there. Chase Ross, elevated to the starting lineup in Kolek’s absence, aggravated a nagging left leg injury in the semifinals.
MU finds out its NCAA Tournament matchup on Sunday. There will be a lot of ice and rehab for the Golden Eagles before they take the court in the first round on Thursday or Friday.
“Nobody is 100% at this time of year,” Mitchell said. “I think we need to take these next few days to get our bodies right. Get back to as close to 100% as they can be. That’ll be good for us.”
Marquette turns attention to March Madness
Despite the maladies and the loss in the title game, there were positives for the Golden Eagles from their time in New York.
Freshman guard Zaide Lowery had some nice moments with more playing time because of Kolek’s injury, including five points in 14 minutes against Connecticut. He showed he wasn’t intimidated by playing in front of a sellout crowd at an arena known as “The Mecca of Basketball.”
“Just really be ready, stay ready,” Lowery said. “Once you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.
“Came in this weekend, did the best I could to help my team win. We came up short, but we got bigger things ahead of us.”
Kam Jones and Ighodaro made the all-tournament team, along with Clingan, St. John’s guard Daniss Jenkins and Providence guard Devin Carter. The Huskies’ Tristen Newton, who had 13 points and 10 assists against MU, was named most outstanding player.
Jones scored a team-high 13 points against the Huskies, and he had 54 over his three games at Madison Square Garden.
MU hasn’t been to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2013. Jones wants this team to end the drought.
“We want to be playing our best basketball every game, starting with the first round,” Jones said. “It’s single elimination, and it’s non-negotiable to bring your best every game in March Madness.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Donovan Clingan helps UConn beat Marquette 73-57 in Big East final
Hartford police are investigating a fatal vehicle accident that occurred early Sunday morning in the area of Elizabeth and North Beacon Street.
Police say they were dispatched to the area for reports of a single vehicle crash and found a 2013 Hyundai Sonata crashed into a retaining wall on the west side of the intersection.
According to police, 31-year-old Shalique Payne of Manchester sustained serious life-threatening injuries.
He was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The Hartford Police Crime Division responded and is investigating the scene.
The victim has not been identified and anyone with information is asked to call the Tip Line at 860-722-TIPS (8477).
Connecticut
Hartford Men’s Lacrosse Completes Comeback Win Against Western Connecticut State University – University of Hartford Athletics
DANBURY, Conn. – The University of Hartford men’s lacrosse team picked up a huge road victory on Saturday defeating Western Connecticut State University by a 10-8 final.
Rapid Recap:
- The Wolves scored the first three goals of the contest over the first eight minutes of action. Hartford got their first goal nine minutes into the first as sophomore Shaun Wright (Frederick, Md.) buried a goal from junior Michael Novotny (Cornwall, N.Y.). After an answer from West Conn, the Hawks would score back-to-back strikes as junior Jack Hart (Grafton, Mass.) scored the first goal, followed by a snipe from junior Colin Reilly (Southington, Conn.). The Wolves would tack on a fifth goal at the buzzer to take the 5-3 advantage into the second.
- The home team once again scored first to double the Hawk score, but this time Hartford battled back scoring three more times with two goals coming from sophomore Gavin Pelletier (Southington, Conn.) and the other coming from Wright. Senior Andrew Leibold (Chula Vista, Calif.) came into the goalie position making three saves as the teams were tied at 6-6 at halftime.
- Junior Aidan Ezra (New Milford, Conn.) gave Hartford their first lead in the contest lighting the lamp on an assist by Wright. West Conn would respond to even the score once again. Reilly would follow it up for the Hawks on a feed from senior Aidan Kemp (South Orange, N.J.). The Wolves would even it up just a minute later to draw the score at level once again. Hartford would stay in front as Novotny scored after a save from the West Conn keeper as the Hawks led 9-8 heading into the fourth.
- The fourth quarter was very chippy in the early stages. Ezra would get the lone goal in the period to give Hartford the 10-8 advantage. Graduate student Nick DiDomizio (Cheshire, Conn.) would cause a turnover followed by three more saves for Leibold as Hartford would pickup the 10-8 victory.
Post Game Press:
“It feels great to get a comeback win on the road against a good team”, said senior Andrew Leibold (Chula Vista, Calif.). “We showed a lot of resilience after going down early and did what we needed to do to get the job done.”
Inside The Numbers:
- Wright led the offense with two goals and an assist to go with four grounders and a caused turnover in the win. Ezra and Pelletier both added two goals and an assist in the victory. Kemp led the passing with two assists, while Novotny added a score and a helper. Reilly tallied two scores and Hart picked up his second collegiate goal to end the point scorers.
- Five Hawks each had one caused turnover in the win. Sophomore Ian Reynolds (Queensbury, N.Y.) went 12-19 from the face-off dot with 10 grounders to lead the way.
- Sophomore CJ Ledwick (Falmouth, Mass.) stopped just a single shot in 15 minutes. Leibold (Chula Vista, Calif.) added eight saves picking up the win while just allowing three goals in 45 minutes.
- Tristan McMahon led the Wolves with three goals in the loss.
- The Hawks held a 41-29 shots advantage in the win, while also grabbing 26 grounders compared to 24 for West Conn.
Up Next:
The Hawks will travel to Skidmore College on March 14th with a game taking place at 1:00 PM.
For the latest information on Hartford Athletics follow the Hawks on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.
Connecticut
A Pair Of Connecticut Coaches Reach Win Milestones In First Round Of CIAC Division II State Tournament
The first round of the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) boys basketball Division II and IV state tournaments is complete.
Both divisions began their respective playoffs on Friday with the second round of each division continuing Monday.
Many stories emerged from Friday night’s slate of games, but two Division II coaches’ career win milestones highlighted the madness.
Scot Wenzel And Bryan Moretti Now Have 500 Wins Between Them
Two teams from the Central Connecticut Conference, Newington and Hall had special moments for each of their head coaches.
Over in Newington, the No. 6 Nor’Easters hosted and defeated Conard, 65-43. The win was also head coach Scot Wenzel’s 300th career win. He has oached the Nor’Easters from 2003–2017 and 2022-present.
“It means that I’ve coached a lot of really good players,” said Wenzel following the accomplishment. “I’m fortunate to make connections with them on the court and also off the court, and glad I still have connections with a lot of those guys now. They all hold a special place in my heart.”
Another milestone looms for Newington in its Monday second-round matchup against Hillhouse, as senior Josiah Sims is eight rebounds away from his 1,000th career rebound. The talented senior already reached 1,000 career points earlier this season.
In the area and just one town over, Hall head coach Bryan Moretti notched the 200th win of his career in a close 49-46 victory over the visiting Cheney Tech Chargers. Moretti is in his 23rd season as the Titans’ head coach, coaching them since the 2003 season.
Hall will host No. 9 Fairfield Ludlowe in the second round of the tournament on Monday.
Over In Division IV, St. Paul’s Sean McMahon Had A Career Game
In the Division IV State Tournament, St. Paul senior Sean McMahon scored a career-high 46 points in his team’s 75-50 first-round win over No. 22 Suffield.
McMahon scored 10+ points in three out of four quarters and had 23 points in each half.
The senior who had the hot hand let his shots come naturally and felt confident about them.
“When the first couple fall, you want to get a couple more up and see if those fall, but I’m not going to go out there and force it,” McMahon told the Bristol Press. “I just let the game come to me.”
St. Paul will face No. 6 Windham Tech on the road Monday in the second round on March 9.
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