Liam McNeeley poured in a career-high 26 points on the brightest stage of his young career, igniting a pro-UConn crowd on a night when some of his more experienced teammates struggled.

Touted freshman Liam McNeeley scored 26 points to lead the UConn men’s basketball team to a 77-71 victory over No. 8 Gonzaga at Madison Square Garden Saturday night.

This one wasn't as easy. But freshman Liam McNeeley finished with a career-high 26 points in a variety of ways — a 3-pointer off a high, Paige Bueckers-like bounce off the back iron; flipping in an inside bucket behind his back — to lead 18th-ranked ...