Notes & Quotes: UConn Over Cornell, 91-74
WATCH POST-GAME VIDEO OF DAN HURLEY, JALEN ADAMS, CHRISTIAN VITAL, AND TARIN SMITH
HARTFORD – A slow start aside, the UConn Huskies got back on track Tuesday night with a 91-74 blowout of Cornell in front of 7,328 fans in head coach Dan Hurley's XL Center debut. Jalen Adams scored 21 points to lead five Huskies (4-1) in double figures as the team bounced back from 91-72 pasting from Iowa last Friday.
“Some good moments but still a lot of things you got to get better at,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said.
Christian Vital added 19, Tarin Smith had 12, Alterique Gilbert 11 and Tyler Polley finished with 10. Matt Morgan led Cornell (3-3) with 26 points.
WHAT WENT WELL:
Jalen Leading: It’s Jalen Adams’ team and he played like the leader of the band for much of the night, starting with staying out of foul trouble. Veteran backcourt mate Vital was also instrumental in getting the Huskies rolling in the first half. The duo combined for 40 points on 15-for-28 shooting – capping the night with back-to-back crowd-pleasing dunks.
Hurley: “Jalen was like an alpha today. I loved the way he attacked, and I thought Christian was good. He lost his mind with his shot selection a couple time, but he plays so hard. It doesn’t make up for it, but man I wish he wouldn’t do that because he’s a good player and he can be a really winning player because he has a lot of heart.”
Jalen Adams: “I know I got to score the ball, kind of create on the offensive end but I think sometimes the past couple years being a point guard I kind of get stuck trying to create too much. It’s a new thing for me figuring out when to create, when to attack, but I think I’m doing a pretty good job with it.”
Taking Hits, and Answering Back: Last year’s Huskies spent games like this one searching for answers, often struggling to find them, and folding. After limping out of the game on offense and trailing by as many as four points early – 14-10 and 21-17 – UConn found a way to right the ship, and closed the half up 48-33.
Vital: “Some yelling from coach Hurley and just us understanding what their offense was … I just felt like we were the tougher team. We kind of like imposed our will on them. … It’s a new year.”
Jalen Adams: “I think now we kind of have that depth and those players that can keep it going. I think once Christian and me got tired last year it was kind of hard to get over that hump, but now we have so many guards … everybody stepping up to big roles this year helps us get over the hump.”
Do You Even Bench: Freshman Brendan Adams came off the bench in the first half to score eight straight points as UConn built their lead. Tarin Smith did his part in the second, scoring 10 straight during one stretch to help the Huskies close things out.
Hurley on Smith: “He’s a starter. He’s played starter minutes. The first half he wasn’t very good. The second half he was great. He’s probably in terms of consistency has probably been our second or third best player so far through five games. ... He’s an integral part.”
Smith: “(Brendan) has a lot of game. He’s a freshman, so he’s still learning things but he’s going to be really good. He’s really good right now so I think that was big for his confidence just getting involved in the game.”
Hurley on Brendan Adams: “I have to get him on the court a lot more. He has to be in that 18-plus minute range. He’s a guy who can help us right now with his shooting and he’s also we need in long-term building this.”
WHAT NEEDS WORK
Interior Defense: UConn was soft on the inside at times, particularly in the first half when Cornell’s guards were able to cut their way to the basket. The Big Red were a tricky team to simulate in practice and the Huskies struggled with them before making adjustments.
Cornell head coach Brian Earl: “We tried to take efficient shots and we were getting cuts. We cut a lot and just caused a lot of havoc for teams that pressure us, which is what they tried to do. We were able to do what we do and we were hunting good shots. … We got it a few times, but couldn’t sustain it for the game.”
Smith: “I think we just stuck to the game plan and kept playing our game. The way they back cut, you can try to duplicate it in practice, but it’s not like how they do it where they throw it right on a dime or by your head. That caught us a little off guard but I think once we recovered from it we were fine.”
Fouling Things Up: The Huskies lost Jalen Adams to foul trouble in the opening two games, but tonight Gilbert was limited to only seven first-half minutes after picking up his second foul. The backcourt depth helped weather the foul storm in the first half.
Jalen Adams: “That’s one of the positive things with having so many guards who are able to be out there. We have so many options.”
NOTES
Sophomore Isaiah Whaley did not play after re-spraining his left ankle. … The Huskies opened a five-game homestand with Tuesday’s game. …Top 2019 target Akok Akok attending the game and sat behind the UConn bench. … Jimmy Boeheim, who is the son of Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, was booed any time his name was mentioned by the public address announcer.
UP NEXT
Saturday, vs. New Hampshire, at XL Center (noon)