Hartford – No. 1 UConn looked scary good on Sunday.

How good?

UConn’s demolition crew took a wrecking ball to Xavier at the XL Center, posting its second largest margin of victory in a Big East game in program history.

The final: 99-56

“One of our best performances on both ends of the court,” coach Dan Hurley said.

Looking fresh and rejuvenated from an eight-day break between games, the Huskies (18-2, 8-1) left no doubt about the outcome on the way to winning their eighth straight game.

They dominated from the start, playing elite level basketball in the annual Coaches vs. Cancer game and on a day when the program’s 2004 national championship team was honored during halftime.

It was a crowded and happy UConn locker room after the game as the 2004 title team members visited as well as some children and staff from the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, a place that the Huskies visited last week.

“It was a special day and a special weekend…,” Hurley said. “It was an awesome vibe all weekend. It was great to rise to the moment and put forth our best effort in front of a bunch of champions today.

“And the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, which is a huge part of our team. We had a chance to spend time with them early in the week with some amazing families and amazing kids and unbelievable staff there. … They were all in the locker room with us after the game. It was probably the best locker room scene that I’ve ever been a part of.”

UConn bolted out of the gates, scoring the game’s first 10 points and riding a 20-0 spurt to a 38-7 lead in the first 15 and a half minutes. The Huskies made 15 of their first 24 field goals and converted a season-best 58.5% overall while the Musketeers started out 3 for 22 and finished shooting 34.4%.

The Huskies tied a program record by sinking 17 threes, with 10 different players making one, and had a season-high 28 assists. Tristen Newton led the way with 22 points while Donovan Clingan chipped in 18 points and eight and Stephon Castle added 12 points and five assists.

They hit their highest scoring output in a Big East game this season despite the fact that Cam Spencer and Alex Karaban, two of the team’s top scorers this season, finished with a combined 13 points.

But they’re far from satisfied.

“We just have to keep getting better and better every day,” Clingan said. “We’re a hungry team. We’re just trying to come out and win every game.”

Even after the Huskies seized a comfortable lead, they kept up their defensive intensity. Hassan Diarra drew a charge with UConn up 38-9, much to the delight of the home crowd.

With a 48-22 edge, UConn’s energy level remained high starting the second half. Newton scored seven straight points to fire up the offense again.

The crowd roared its approval when Clingan buried his first career 3-pointer with 15:37 left in the game, pushing the lead to 61-26.

Back in the starting lineup after coming off the bench for two games since returning from a foot injury, Clingan had his most productive game since mid-December.

“I had the energy and the wind that I feel like I haven’t had and felt in awhile and just running around without sore feet,” Clingan said. “It’s a great feeling just to bring that defensive intensity and help the guys from the jump, I feel like our defense was spectacular and we defended for a full 40 minutes.”

Clingan was a difference-maker on defense, using his 7-foot-2 frame to discourage Xavier from entering the lane. And he forced Xavier (10-10, 4-5) to collapse on him inside on the offensive end, giving UConn’s shooters more room to fire away.

“Donovan just impacts everything,” Hurley said.

By midway through the second half, Hurley went deep into his bench. At one point, four freshmen – Castle, Jayden Ross, Solo Ball and Jaylin Stewart – joined junior Samson Johnson on the floor. Hurley is hoping to establish a nine-man rotation.

Ball had his best Big East game, finishing with 12 points.

“It means everything in the world to me just for my teammates to trust me,” Ball said.

About the only thing in doubt down the stretch was whether UConn would set a program record for most points in a league game. The Huskies fell just short of the mark set 2008 by beating Cincinnati by 45 (96-51).

After the game ended, members of the 2004 team walked near midcourt to pose with their national championship trophy. They sat behind the bench during the game.

“You just couldn’t lose in front of that group,” Hurley said. “They all addressed the team in the locker room. That was a special group of guys, Ben (Gordon), Emeka (Okafor) and Rashad (Anderson), they were all in there. … And they all had great things to say.”

g.keefe@theday.com