Jojo Doria

Louisville, KY

Chris Allen scored 20 points to lead eighth-seeded Iowa State to a 77-64 victory over defending national champion Connecticut in a South Regional NCAA Tournament matchup.

Iowa State (23-10) advances to the round of 32 on against No. 1-seed Kentucky.

Royce White had 15 points and 11 rebounds and Scott Christopherson added 15 points for Iowa State, which led by as many as 22 points in the first half.

Connecticut (20-14) was fortunate to even be in the tournament after a disappointing season and became the first defending national champion to lose in the first round since Princeton upset UCLA 43-41 in 1996.

Down 36-14 in the first half, UConn got within 58-52 on a 3-pointer by Ryan Boatright with 8:30 to play but Iowa State responded with a 7-0 run to extend the lead to 65-52.

Shabazz Napier scored 22 points and Jeremy Lamb added 19 but they were the only two players in double figures for the Huskies.

 

 

Defending Champion UConn Huskies Sent Packing Early by Iowa State