Sweet Sixteen Recap – Phoenix Region
by Scott Allen
(2) Connecticut 73, (6) Vanderbilt 53
Matt Freije needed to have the game of his life for the Commodores to pull off a second consecutive upset. Instead, he scored eight points on 3-for-18 shooting. It’s tough to hang the loss on the star forward after he scored 11 of his game-high 31 points in the final three minutes of a dramatic comeback victory over N.C. State in the second round last weekend just to get his team into the Sweet 16. It’s especially tough given that Freije could’ve matched that performance and Kevin Stallings’ squad would’ve still likely lost, as UConn got 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists from Ben Gordon and Emeka Okafor registered a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards. The Connecticut tandem combined to outrebound the entire Vanderbilt squad, as the Huskies dominated the boards 41-17.
Rashad Anderson, who poured in 15 points, helped stake the Huskies to an early 25-8 lead by scoring seven straight points. The Commodores trailed 45-27 at the half but used a 16-3 run early in the second half to pull within seven at 52-45. Anderson answered for the Huskies with a three-pointer as part of an 8-0 run and Vanderbilt would not threaten again. While Freije struggled to find his shot, Mario Moore and Corey Smith scored 12 points apiece to lead Vanderbilt, which shot 35 percent from the field as a team and 33 percent from long range. The Huskies shot 52.9 percent and knocked down 6-of-17 three-pointers. For the third consecutive season, Jim Calhoun and the Huskies are now one win away from reaching the Final Four. UConn has lost to Maryland and Texas the past two years in the Regional Final.
