By Colin Lawless, Staff Writer
This year’s edition of March Madness was another exciting entry to its famous catalog, and the ending was a fitting one. No. 5 San Diego State University (SDSU) faced off against no. 4 University of Connecticut (UConn) in a game that many people predicted differently. This year was the first time that no first seeded teams made the Elite Eight, so the final eight teams were all seen as surprise guests.
SDSU and UConn earned their way to the final, with UConn comfortably beating Miami and SDSU beating FAU at the buzzer in the Final Four. However, the championship was all UConn, from start to finish.
SDSU came out with a 10-6 lead, but then went on a dry spell, failing to convert a field goal for 11 minutes. Adama Sanogo and the rest of the Huskies took over, going on a 20-5 run during this span. Sanogo helped his team to their fifth NCAA championship in program history with his 17 points and ten rebounds. Tristan Newton, though, led the Huskies in scoring with 19 points and ten rebounds, and Donovan Clingan helped both smother the Aztec’s smaller front court.
The two guards, Dorrian Tremmell and Lamont Butler, were held frustrated throughout. They sparked a 9-0 run toward the end of the game to get SDSU to within six points, but UConn finished the game on a 16-4 run. This win levels them with Duke and Indiana for fourth all-time in National Championship titles.
The women’s national championship game was another exciting battle between two top teams. Angel Reese and LSU capped off a dominant run to send Caitlin Clark and Iowa home empty handed. The Tigers won 102-85 on 58 percent shooting from the field and an impressive 75 percent from three. Jasmine Carson came off the bench with 21 first-half points, including 5-5 from three.
Their 102 points is a new record for the women’s NCAA championship. Caitlin Clark was stellar once again with 30 points, finishing the tournament as the new record points-scorer with 191 total. LSU caps off a stellar season as the no. 3 seed to win it all, and their first since 1997.
