UConn crowned back-to-back national champs, beat Purdue 75-60

Tristen Newton scored 20 points for UConn as they became back-to-back national champions, defeating Purdue 75-60 on Monday night in Glendale.

Stephon Castle had 15 while Donovan Clingan and Cam Spencer added 11 a piece in UConn’s victory. The Huskies are the first team to win two national championships in consecutive years since Florida in 2006-07 .

Zach Edey dropped 37 points for Purdue as they fell in the first appearance on this stage since 1969. Struggling on offense besides Edey, the Boilermakers were 1-for-7 (14.3%) from three and shot 24-for-54 (44.4%) overall.

The battle of two No. 1 seeds flipped back and forth in the first half as neither team was able to pull away from the other.

As his team’s focal point all season, Edey guided the Boilermakers with his physicality in the paint, fighting his way to the bucket. The 7-foot-4 center led all players in scoring with 16 points in the first half.

A mixture of UConn’s defense and a collective effort offensively helped the Huskies go into halftime with a 36-30 lead. Purdue was limited to just two three-point attempts.