Kentucky vs. UConn, 2014 NCAA basketball championship final score: Huskies cut down nets with 60-54 win
There would be no Kentucky comeback this time. Shabazz Napier stole the show with 22 points and UConn beat the Wildcats, 60-54, to win their fourth national championship.
The Connecticut Huskies are your 2014 national champions. UConn held off the Kentucky Wildcats, 60-54, to cut down the nets, being the first-ever No. 7 seed to win it all. It's their fourth national championship in school history and second one in four years.
The first half was an all-too familiar story for Kentucky this tournament. The Huskies dominated the game for most of the first half, opening up a 30-15 lead thanks to 15 points from Shabazz Napier, but the Wildcats ended on a 16-5 run to create a manageable 35-31 deficit at halftime. Julius Randle struggled for most of the half, but scored four points in the final minute and looked to make a bigger in the second half.
The Wildcats continued their surge in the second half while the Huskies went cold from the floor (UConn shot just 1-of-8 to start the half). UConn’s frustrations started boiling over.
Despite that incident, the Huskies got on track and built their lead back up to nine points, but Kentucky refused to go away, pulling within one point at the under-eight timeout.
James Young also did this thing.
The Huskies drained two three-pointers in a row and went up seven points again, and they kept the Wildcats at arm’s length through the stretch run. Kentucky found themselves down six with around 90 seconds left, and Young made it a four-point deficit with another sweet layup, but the Wildcats did not have another last-minute comeback in them.
Napier had one of his best games on the biggest stage, leading the Huskies with 22 points and pulling down six rebounds. UConn shot 41.5 percent from the floor and made all 10 free throws. That proved to be a huge difference in this game, as Kentucky could only make 13-of-24 free throws. Young led the Wildcats with 20 points and Randle added 10.
See More:
