UConn disrupted Illinois’ normally efficient offense and mounted its own balanced attack to win 71-62 in Saturday’s first national semifinal. When Illinois threatened to rally from a 13-point second-half deficit, it ran into a familiar face.
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Braylon Mullins, the hero of UConn’s Elite Eight thriller over Duke, hit a late 3-pointer to help ice the victory after being held scoreless in the second half.
With the win, UConn advances to Monday’s national championship game, where it will seek its third NCAA title in four seasons. They will face the winner of Saturday’s second game of the Final Four between Arizona and Michigan.Mullins had a strong first half that picked up where he left off with a three-pointer for the first points of the game. The Indiana native, who played close to home in the Final Four in Indianapolis, hit 3 of his first 5 3-point attempts en route to 12 points before halftime, including a bank shot that extended UConn’s lead just before halftime.
Tarris Reed Jr, meanwhile, intimidated overmatched Illinois defenders in the paint in the first half. Illinois countered Reed with height on its first line with forward David Mirković (6-9) and center Tomislav Ivišić (7-1).
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But neither had the strength to limit Reed’s offensive impact at the rim and on the glass, as he had 11 points and 5 rebounds before halftime.
While UConn tallied nine assists and zero turnovers before halftime, the Huskies limited Illinois’ normally potent offense to just one assist while taking a 37-29 halftime lead. The 37 first-half points were the most Illinois had allowed in the NCAA tournament.
UConn kept its foot on the gas after halftime, extending its lead to 49-36 early in the second half, giving Illinois its largest deficit of the entire season. Mullins and Reed’s teammates took over on offense as UConn’s defense continued to thwart an Illinois offense that ranks first in the nation in KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency, no matter who was on the court.
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Illinois mounted a comeback and held UConn scoreless for more than four minutes to cut its deficit to 57-53 at the end of the second half. Neither Mullins nor Reed had scored in the second half at that point after leading UConn in the first.
But Reed broke the drought with a layup in traffic to get UConn’s offense going again. Illinois cut the lead back to four points before Mullins’ final three extended UConn’s cushion to seven points in the final minute. Illinois never got within four points as UConn held on to win.
This story will be updated.