Story By: Erin Zollars
Photos By: Sol Tucker
Washington, D.C–
They always say it’s not how you start a game, but how you finish it… and that is exactly how the UCONN Huskies moved tonight with one final game winning shot to finish the game and move on the Final Four.
If you were looking for one game to remember your first year in college, look no further UConn freshman Braylon Mullins, who just cemented himself in UConn history after they stole the ball after an errant Cayden Boozer pass resulted in a 3-pointer from 35 feet with 0.3 seconds left to cap a remarkable 19-point comeback and give the Huskies a 73-72 win.
“The Indiana kid sent us to Indianapolis,” said senior Alex Karaban, who had the assist on the game winner.
There are so many questions as to why Boozer just didn’t hold on to the ball. Did he not think they could have just dribbled the ball out or even taken a foul and it most likely would have ended the game, but it didn’t go that way and now UConn will try for their fourth NCAA Championship since UCLA did it back in 1970.
In this loss, Duke is going to look back at how they jumped out to a 19-point lead in the first half, but it was the huge game by Tarris Reed Jr. with 26 points that made the difference in the game. Duke struggled to keep him out of the paint and even with Boozer collapsing on him in the paint, Reed was able to spin out of a few double teams and score.
A few numbers stood out in the game tonight.
No. 1 seeds in the men’s NCAA Tournament were a combined 134-0 when up by 15 or more at halftime.
That record is now 134-1. Duke is the first No. 1 seed to blow a halftime lead of 15 or more in March Madness history.
