Notes & Quotes: UConn Falls to SMU
Hartford, Conn. – Vance Jackson guarantees the UConn Huskies will beat No. 17 SMU if the schools meet again this season.
If they do meet again the American Athletic Conference Tournament, somebody better guard Shake Milton.
The SMU guard scored 18 of his 20 points in the first half to power the Mustangs over UConn 69-61 in front of 13,553 fans Saturday afternoon at the XL Center.
“The first half they really had us on our heels with Shake Milton hitting all the threes,” UConn coach Kevin Ollie said. “But I thought our guys did a great job in the second half and got the game down to five.”
Down 41-30 at the half and without point guard Jalen Adams (left ankle sprain), the Huskies managed to come within five points with 9:20 remaining before SMU pulled away.
The Huskies (14-14, 9-7), who have dropped two straight after a four-game winning streak, were led by Kentan Facey's 15 points. Freshmen Christian Vital and Vance Jackson each added 14 while Rodney Purvis had 11. Amida Brimah had one point, 11 rebounds, and four blocks.
The Mustangs (25-4, 15-1 American Athletic Conference) won their 11th straight and haven't lost since Jan. 12 at Cincinnati. Semi Ojeleye had 16 points, Ben Moore added 15 and Sterling Brown had 11.
Adams is day-to-day with the injury and is expected to have x-rays. UConn plays Wednesday at East Carolina. The Huskies need at least one more win if they hope to earn a top-five seed in the tournament.
WHAT WORKED
Nobody Quits: The Huskies were in big trouble after the first half down double digits and without Adams. Two freshmen – Vital and Jackson – along with Purvis helped the team climb back into it for a while. Vital scored eight points in the second half, Jackson added nine and Purvis hit two 3-pointers.
Ollie: “You can’t get frustrated, this is part of life. I am just teaching them life lessons. Things happen, but we have to keep focused, keep control of what you can control. … Nobody wanted Jalen to get hurt, especially Jalen didn’t want to get hurt, but it happens.”
Facey: “I would have felt a lot better if we had won.”
Vital: “From the start of the season, from the first game, coach has been telling me ‘you’re not a freshman anymore.’ It’s on me to help the guys out and be that extra person. To be out there, to be solid and to be productive.”
Big Effort: Brimah didn’t factor into the scoring much, but he and Facey combined for 20 rebounds and helped hold SMU to just 24 points in the paint. UConn also won the rebound battle 37-36. Brimah also stayed out of foul trouble.
Ollie: “We had two warriors out there and Kentan and Amida played like warriors today – absolutely warriors. I challenged them and they took the challenge the right way. That’s what great players do. That’s what tough players do.”
WHAT NEEDS WORK
Shooting Defense: The Huskies have been vulnerable to poor perimeter defense during the season and Milton made them pay, hitting 6 of 7 in the first half to put SMU in front. The Mustangs were just 1 of 8 in the second half on 3s, but they already did their damage with a 9-for-13 first half.
SMU coach Tim Jankovich: “What I do know about this team is we have a lot of good shooters. So on any given night, and this is what happened all year long, you never know where the fire might break. But we have had it breakout all different places.”
Facey: “We have to come up with a sense of urgency. We have to cover the court better because they were knocking down shots. They drive and knock down shot, so as long as we lock in those things I think we’re in a good spot.”
All or Nothing: Ollie said earlier in the season the Huskies are not a good outside shooting team and that showed once again, especially with Purvis (2-for-12). Adams and Purvis were a combined 5-for-24 shooting. They just can’t win when their backcourt has an off night.
Ollie: “Rodney didn’t have a particularly great game today shooting, but he’s been shooting better.”
Fear the Ponies: Since the two teams became part of the AAC, SMU has a 7-2 lead in the series. UConn has won twice – both at the XL – but overall don’t match up well with players like Moore and the rugged Ojeleye.
Vital: “Against really solid teams like SMU you have to come out from the gate and be solid for 40 minutes.”
NOTES: Former SMU coach Larry Brown was at the arena prior to the game. … UConn’s bench outscored SMU 16-3. … Injured players Terry Larrier (knee) and Mamadou Diarra (knees) were on the court warming up with teammates before the game. They are both out for the season. … Going into the weekend, the Huskies could finish anywhere from the third to seventh seed for the tournament.
NEXT UP
UConn visits East Carolina on Wednesday, March 1