Short-handed UConn holds off St. John's in Big East home opener
Tristen Newton scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half, including a key free throw with just under 17 seconds left, and No. 5 UConn held off St. John's 69-65 on Saturday night.
Samson Johnson, starting in place of injured center Donovan Clingan, added 16 points for the Huskies (11-2, 1-1 Big East) and Cam Spencer scored 15.
[UConn star Donovan Clingan to miss 3-4 weeks]
Joel Soriano had 14 points and 11 rebounds to lead St. John's, which had won six of seven. Daniss Jenkins added 13 points for the Red Storm (8-4, 1-1).
The game was tied at 63 before a driving layup by Newton and another by Stephon Castle put Connecticut up by four with two minutes left.
Soriano's layup brought the Red Storm to 67-65, but teammate Chris Ledlum missed two free throws with just under 18 seconds left before Newton hit one of two at the line.
Jenkins missed a 3-pointer that would have tied it for St. John's, and Hassan Diarra sank a foul shot with five seconds remaining to seal the win.
St. John's vs. No. 5 UConn highlights
St. John's led by six at halftime and extended that to eight with the first bucket of the second half.
[Pitino Chronicles Episode II: The History of the Big East Conference]
But seconds later, Spencer made a 3 and Newton, after a little altercation with Glenn Taylor Jr. of St. John's, converted a three-point play as part of a 10-0 run for UConn.
A 3-pointer by Spencer after an offensive rebound gave the Huskies a 44-41 lead and they held the advantage until Taylor hit a 3 with 4 1/2 minutes left to put St. John's back in front 63-61.
UConn's Samson Johnson throws down wild alley-oop
BIG PICTURE
St. John's: Soriano came into the game averaging 18 points and just over 11 rebounds per game and has reached double figures in rebounds in five straight games.
UConn: The Huskies will be without the 7-foot-2 Clingan for about a month. The school said the sophomore, who missed a month of the preseason with a right foot injury, injured a tendon in the same foot Wednesday during a loss at Seton Hall. Connecticut coach Dan Hurley said the two injuries are not related. Clingan had been averaging just under 14 points and just over six rebounds a game.
UP NEXT
St. John's: Will host Hofstra on Dec. 30 at UBS Arena.
UConn: The Huskies are off until Jan. 2 when they return to campus to face DePaul.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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