NCAA News Wire
Connecticut 81, Iowa State 76
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
NEW YORK — The Connecticut Huskies used clutch free throw shooting down the stretch, turning back the Iowa State Cyclones 81-76 in the semifinals of the NCAA East Regional on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
The Huskies (29-8), the seventh seed, were 11 of 12 from the line in the final 47 seconds of the game. They finished 20 of 22.
Iowa State (28-8), the third seed, closed to six points at 77-71 with 14 seconds to play before UConn forward DeAndre Daniels buried four straight shots from the stripe for an 81-73 cushion.
Daniels led the Huskies with 27 points and 10 rebounds. UConn faces the winner of Virginia-Michigan State for a spot in the Final Four.
UConn guard Shabazz Napier added 19 points and guard Ryan Boatwright chipped in with 16 points.
Iowa State, which entered the game with the country’s fifth highest-scoring offense at 83.2 points per game, was held to one of its lowest outputs of the season.
Junior forward Dustin Hogue scored a career-high 34 points for Iowa State. Cyclones forward Melvin Ejim, the Big 12 Player of the Year, was in foul trouble and struggled with his shot. Ejim finished with just seven points, well below his 18.1 average.
Guard DeAndre Kane, shadowed by Napier for most of the game, scored 16 points for the Cyclones.
The Huskies are 35-8 in their last 12 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, dating to their 6-0 run to the national championship in 1999. Included in that span are NCAA titles in 1999, 2004 and 2011.
Iowa State got to within five points at 70-65 on a layup from guard Naz Long with 1:38 to play before guard Terrence Samuel hit two free throws with 36 seconds left and Napier made two from the line with 47 seconds left for a 74-67 Huskies lead.
Iowa State cut the UConn lead to 10 points several times in the final six minutes of the game but could not put together more than four-point run.
NOTES: Maple Leafs LW James van Riemsdyk was traded from Philadelphia to Toronto for D Luke Schenn before last season. … Flyers C Vincent Lecavalier was demoted to the fourth line before the game. … Lecavalier’s goal was only the second for Philadelphia this season during a five-on-three advantage. … The Leafs beat the Flyers 3-1 in Philadelphia on Oct. 2 and 4-3 in overtime in Toronto on March 8. … Toronto has allowed the first goal eight times in the last nine games. … Maple Leafs D Paul Ranger (concussion) was not in the lineup. … Flyers RW Steve Downie (upper body) did not play.
