Jan. 21—PHILADELPHIA — UConn coach Dan Hurley clashed with Tristen Newton last season while trying to reach an understanding with his point guard.
Their personalities are so different.
Hurley is fire, Newton ice.
They worked it out and the Huskies raised the national championship trophy last April.
They’re in a great spot now.
Hurley expressed his appreciation for Newton after No. 1 UConn escaped with a 66-65 victory Saturday over Villanova before a noisy crowd of 18,966 fans at Wells Fargo Center.
Newton sparked the Big East leading Huskies (17-2, 7-1) to their seventh straight win, scoring 19 of his game-high 25 points in the second half. He also had six rebounds and three assists.
“We butted heads throughout last year at different times, just because I’m a fireball,” Hurley said. “And he isn’t. He’s cool, calm and collected. I’ve grown to appreciate in roster construction that you have to have different types of personalities.
“I think his personality allows him to stay calm in big spots and not want it too bad and get in his own way.”
The Huskies had to grind out a difficult Big East win, relying on clutch shooting and playmaking to shake the Wildcats (11-7, 4-3). They overcame a struggling offense — 40.8% percent from the field — and limited Villanova’s leading scorer Eric Dixon to just nine points.
But Newton was the star of the show, which is exactly what redshirt sophomore Alex Karaban said about his teammate while entering the postgame press conference.
Newton talked about his relationship with Hurley during the postgame media availability.
“We talked a lot,” Newton said. “He wants me to match his energy. I try my best to get to his energy but his energy is crazy, so it’s hard to get up there, but I try my best. We talk and communicate. Our relationship is better than ever.”
UConn needed Newton and every ounce of energy to pull out a hard-fought win.
Trailing 42-38, Newton scored eight points during a 13-0 run to put the Huskies in front. His second 3-pointer during that momentum-turning stretch pushed the lead to 51-42.
“I hit two 3s, which is big for me,” Newton said. “When I hit my 3s, I feel that I have the most confidence.”
Still, the game was in doubt until inside the final minute.
Newton found an open Karaban in the corner and he buried a 3 with 2:46 remaining to put UConn ahead for good, 61-58.
Up until that basket, Karaban had a quiet second half and finished with 10 points overall.
“The coaches were telling me just to stay confident throughout the game,” Karaban said. “I wasn’t shooting as much as I should have and getting the looks that I wanted. But they told me to stay confident.
“… It was a big-time step up.”
The Huskies held on down the stretch by sinking free throws and getting the benefit of two offensive fouls called on Villanova’s Justin Moore, the second one with 18.8 seconds left and UConn leading 61-60.
Up 64-62, Newton made two free throws with four seconds remaining for a four-point lead. He waved goodbye to the student section behind the basket after draining the second one.
Good thing Newton converted both freebies, because Villanova’s Mark Armstrong hit a long 3 at the buzzer to create the final one-point margin.
Hurley mainly stuck with his veterans on Saturday, as Newton played 39 minutes, Karaban 37 minutes and Cam Spencer, who scored 14 points and made two clutch free throws with 10.4 seconds left, 37 minutes, as well.
“It was a gut-check win,” Hurley said. “You saw a program that had the confidence down the stretch, that championship-level confidence that we now have in our ability to win games in clutch moments.
“Tristen was awesome. He played like one of the better guards in the country and Alex’s clutch 3 and Donovan (Clingan’s) defensive impact.”
In his second game back from a foot injury that sidelined him for nearly a month, Clingan looked more comfortable. He saw his playing time increase from the previous game to 24 minutes, finishing with six points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
Clingan’s contribution was important.
UConn survived its share of rocky moments.
After jetting to a quick 11-0 lead, the Huskies went almost nine minutes without a field goal and eventually took a 29-24 lead at intermission.
A good sign considering the Huskies came into the game with a 14-0 record when leading at half.
Make it 15-0.
Now the Huskies will be off until Sunday, Jan. 28 when Xavier visits Hartford.
