Notes & Quotes: UConn Over SMU
Watch post-game video of Jalen Adams, Sid Wilson, and more here!
STORRS, Conn. – SMU has given UConn trouble in the past, but this wasn't the case Thursday night.
Jalen Adams scored 21 points and Alterique Gilbert added 19 to lead UConn over SMU 76-64 Thursday night in front of 6,538 fans at Gampel Pavilion. The Huskies (10-6, 1-2 AAC) snapped a season-high three-game skid and got their first league win of the season.
Christian Vital added 11 points and seven rebounds as the UConn starting backcourt combined for 51 of the team’s points. Josh Carlton added eight points and seven rebounds.
Jimmy Whitt Jr. had 20 points with 10 rebounds to lead the Mustangs (10-5, 2-1), who had their four-game winning streak snapped. Jahmal McMurray finished with 15 points but shot 5 of 18 from the field.
WHAT WENT WELL
A Full 40: The Huskies have suffered second-half collapses during the losing skid, but this time they went the distance – well almost. It might not have been a full 40-minute effort, but it was more than enough to cool off the Mustangs, who trailed 42-31 at the break. The biggest key was when SMU punched back in the second half, cutting it to 59-52 with 9:09 to play, but the Huskies has answers, pushing the lead to 66-52 in a little under two minutes. Redshirt freshman Sidney Wilson had a huge play on the run – with a rebound and put back on a missed foul shot – plus he drew a foul to convert a three-point play.
UConn coach Dan Hurley: “Obviously thrilled with the overall effort. The guys here, I thought at both ends of the court. Defensively we were really dialed in against a difficult team to guard. One of the most efficient offenses we’ll see, so we were locked in. And any time out turnover number is going to be 10 or lower (it was 10 this game), which is game goal …. We are going to win or give ourselves a chance.”
Jalen Adams: “It’s huge. You always have to have something to build from and this was a good way to start that building. That foundation to just start winning, and it was a great SMU team, so it was a great win for us.”
SMU coach Tim Jankovich: “They played very well. They were hard to guard and we did not do a good job guarding them. They put us in foul trouble, so you got to credit them.”
Backcourt Sets the Tone: Gilbert, Adams, and Vital set the tone for the Huskies in the first half, combining for 30 of the team’s 42 points. Gilbert scored 12 points there on 3-for-4 shooting that included 2 of 3 on 3-pointers. Adams, who had 10 points at the break, found his rhythm a little later, but poured in 11 second-half points and shot 7-for-10 for the game. In three years together, Gilbert and Adams have spent little time in game-day action – primarily due to shoulder problems for Gilbert. The Huskies need them to bound like that more going forward to turn the season around.
Hurley: “They have been spending a lot more time around each other, shooting together, and that’s a bond that needs to be forged. It’s kind of been a hard thing to do because Al has always been in street clothes, but they are our two most talented players, so they develop that rapport if we’re going to be able to just not have one good performance night, but if we are going to continue to win a number of games that we’ll feel good about in the end.”
Adams: “Today was definitely one of those days. I think there were some games probably in the PK80 (last year), when we played like Oregon, where we were both clicking, but I think this is just a start and we have a lot of season to go.”
Gilbert: “It’s helped us a lot (shooting in the gym together). Building that comradery between each other, learning each other’s spot on the floor, where we like the ball, and just playing off each other. We've built a great relationship.”
Defense Did Work: The Mustangs came in playing some of their best basketball of the season, and the Huskies did a great job on the defensive end taking them out of their game. McMurray had to work for every shot with Gilbert and Tarin Smith chasing him around the floor, while inside, SMU big man Ethan Chargois had to content with UConn’s young big men. SMU shot just 34.8 percent from the field, with the best factor being a 27.8 percent second half and just 3-for-23 on 3-pointers.
Hurley: “The two guys for us were (Chargois) and McMurray. Those were the two guys we really dialed in on because we just felt like they could cause us the most amount of problems here. I thought our centers, with the exception of one kind of lazy closeout in the first half, and we just chased McMurray around, just kind of wore him down. Credit Al with that and credit Tarin Smith. Tari Smith gave up a lot of offense today to play well at the defensive end.”
Here Comes Sidney: The Huskies have plenty of offense with their talented guards, but the need for a big man to step up – especially on defense – has been apparent since Amida Brimah graduated. Wilson just might be that guy. In 20-plus minutes, he tallied a season-high six rebounds, blocked three shots and was a disruptive force in the paint with his athleticism.
Hurley: “If Sid was a high school football player and he was going to Clemson, they would probably call him ‘athlete’ right now. He’s still developing the skill set.”
Wilson: “I feel like I played well. It started all on defense, though. I didn’t really score until the second half, so it was all just energy and defense, and rebounding – that’s what kept me in the game.”
WHAT NEEDS WORK
Hit the Glass Harder: It was a solid all-around win, if we must find fault it would be on the glass. SMU scored 22 second-chance points with the help of 23 offensive rebounds. The Mustangs outworked the Huskies on the glass 41-26 overall. Without an established big man, rebounding has been an issue for the Huskies – especially on the offensive end – but it didn’t hurt them tonight.
MISC.
Mamadou Diarra took part in pregame warm ups with a gray brace/wrap on his injured left knee but did not play in the game. Kwintin Williams (suspension) also did not play. … UConn commit Akok Akok attended the game and sat behind the team’s bench in street clothes. … Freshman Brendan Adams did not play – Hurley said it was his decision to “tighten up the rotation.” … Former UConn basketball/baseball player Tom Penders attended the game. … A host of scouts were in attendance as well, including from San Antonio, Dallas and Philadelphia. … The Huskies have struggled with SMU with a 4-9 record dropping four of the last five before this win. Kevin Ollie’s last game as UConn head coach came against the Mustangs in last year’s AAC Tournament.
UP NEXT
Saturday, at Cincinnati, 8 p.m. (ESPN2)