NCAA Game Summary - Connecticut vs. Pittsburgh

New York, NY (Basketball News) - Ben Gordon hit several clutch shots down the stretch and finished with 23 points, leading ninth-ranked Connecticut to a 61-58 comeback victory over No. 6 Pittsburgh in the championship game of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden.

The second-seeded Huskies (27-6) had Emeka Okafor, the Big East Player of the Year, back in the lineup for the contest, but were forced to play without freshman big man Charlie Villanueva due to an ankle injury. Okafor, who missed the Huskies’ first two games of the tournament with a stress fracture in his back, finished with 11 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks.

But it was Gordon who hit all the big shots down the stretch, leading Connecticut to its second title in three seasons. The win also gave UConn its fourth championship in seven seasons.

Pittsburgh, which was playing in its fourth straight conference title game and third straight against the Huskies, was led by 11 points apiece from Chris Taft and Mark McCarroll. Jaron Brown and Carl Krauser each had 10 points for the top-seeded Panthers (29-4), who likely saw their bid to capture their first-ever No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament fall by the wayside with the loss.

Connecticut, which trailed by as many as 12 early in the second half, closed the gap with a 14-4 run late in the game. Gordon’s three-pointer capped the spurt and reduced the deficit to 55-54 with 2:47 remaining.

Panthers forward Chevon Troutman hit a free throw to push the lead to two, but Rashad Anderson answered with a big three-pointer that put UConn ahead for the first time since early in the contest. McCarroll then received a favorable roll on the other end of the floor to give Pittsburgh a 58-57 lead with 1:45 remaining to set the stage for Gordon’s heroics.

Gordon, who set a Big East Tournament record with a total of 81 points in the three games, hit a jumper in the lane to put Connecticut ahead for good with 39 seconds left to play.

Pittsburgh saw its two final chances to take the lead clang off the rim, and Gordon grabbed the loose ball and was fouled with a half-second left in the game. He hit both to ice the game, as the Panthers threw the inbounds pass the length of the court and missed a pointless two-point attempt at the buzzer.

Both teams have struggled mightily from the free throw line this season, but Connecticut hit almost all of its chances from the charity stripe down the stretch. The Huskies hit 9-of-10 from the line in the second half and 10-of-12 for the game. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, hit just 3-of-7 free throws in the second half.

Okafor looked fresh and strong early in the contest, scoring four points, grabbing three rebounds and blocking a shot as Connecticut jumped out to a 13-2 lead. But Pittsburgh settled into the flow of the game and answered with a 19-2 run. McCarroll came off the bench to contribute seven points during the burst, but it was Krauser’s lay-in that made it 21-15 in favor of Pittsburgh with 8:17 remaining in the half.

The Panthers slowly wore down the Huskies, dominating the paint to the tune of a 22-8 advantage in the first half. Krauser had eight points and seven rebounds, while Brown chipped in eight points and five steals as Pittsburgh went into the locker room with a 34-25 advantage.

After hitting two early jumpers, Gordon went ice cold. He made just 2-of-10 shot attempts in the first 20 minutes and Connecticut as a team hit just 10- of-34 shots, good for just 29 percent.

Connecticut, though, turned it all around just in time to pull out the victory, allowing them to head into the NCAA Tournament with momentum and a favorable seed.