UConn opens Hurley era with 80-70 win over Morehead State
November 8, 2018
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STORRS, Conn. (AP) UConn coach Dan Hurley is happy with the energy level of his Huskies, now he'd like to see them develop a killer instinct.
Hurley had a successful coaching debut at his new school Thursday as UConn broke open a close game, then held off a pesky Morehead State team for an 80-70 win.
Josh Carlton scored 17 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Jalen Adams scored 16 points and Alterique Gilbert added 15 for the Huskies, who led by just four points at halftime.
Lamontray Harris had 16 points and Malek Green 14 for Morehead State (1-1).
UConn never trailed. The Huskies led by as many as 13 in the first half and 16 in the second, but had to weather several Morehead State runs.
''We were playing with fire,'' Hurley said. ''We had a chance to kind of bury them a couple times and we let it hang around and be a 10 point game.''
The Eagles, who didn't start a player taller than 6-foot-4, had no answer for the 6-10 Carlton. The sophomore beat his previous career high in scoring by two points and also had two of the Huskies eight blocked shots.
''There's been a lot of hype around our guards, well deserved,'' Carlton said. ''But I just wanted to come around and let `em know we're a complete team. We've got threats at every position.''
For the sellout crowd (the first at Gampel Pavilion since March, 2016), this was a night to welcome a new leader after a disappointing 14-18 season that ended with the firing of coach Kevin Ollie amid allegations of NCAA violations.
The student section held up letters that spelled out ''Hello Hurley'' and cheered loudly as the coach made his way to the bench before the game.
The 45-year-old, who led Rhode Island to NCAA Tournament appearances in each of his last two seasons, remained on his feet the entire game, gesturing and yelling for the Huskies to push the ball or urging the crowd to stand up and cheer. He ran over to slap Carlton on the rear end after the big man dove into the stands for a loose ball in the second half.
The heightened energy level was on display from the opening tip when Adams dove to the floor to force a tie-up and a turnover as his coach applauded his approval.
''You just see how excited he is when we score the ball or when we get a stop, it just makes you want to play that much harder for him,'' Adams said.
BIG PICTURE
UConn: Hurley's new run-and-press style of play resulted in the Huskies forcing 17 turnovers and outscoring a much smaller Morehead State team 46-22 in the paint and 21-8 on the fast break. Last season, Hurley's Rhode Island team forced 536 turnovers, which ranked 13th nationally. But the Huskies also turned the ball over 13 times.
Morehead State: The Eagles shot 40 percent after making 53 percent of their shots in their season opening win against Kentucky Christian. They were outrebounded just 41-36 after pulling down 48 boards on Tuesday.
''Literally through the final horn we were chasing down offensive rebounds,'' said coach Preston Spradlin. ''With 20 seconds to go, Lamontray Harris is diving for loose balls and you're down eight or 10 at that point. That's the things as a coach you take away and you're very proud of.''
INJURY
UConn forward Isaiah Whaley went down in the first half with a sprained ankle. He tried to return a few minutes later, but was limping noticeably and was quickly subbed out again.
COMEBACK
Gilbert was impressive in coming back from shoulder injuries that limited him to just nine games in his first two seasons. In addition to his 15 points, he dished out four assists and had four rebounds while leading the break and playing more than 30 minutes.
''Just to have the opportunity to be back out there, I felt blessed,'' he said.
UP NEXT
UConn: The Huskies continue the preliminary rounds of the 2K Empire Classic by hosting UMKC on Sunday.
Morehead State: The Eagles visit Syracuse on Saturday, also as part of the 2K tournament.
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Pickett has 19 to help Siena hold off George Washington
November 8, 2018
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WASHINGTON (AP) Jalen Pickett scored 19 points and Kevin Degnan added 15 as Siena held off George Washington to give coach Jamion Christian his first win, a 69-61 victory on Thursday night.
Picket nailed 4 of 9 from long range and added 5 of 6 from the free throw line while dishing out six assists. Degnan drilled 5 of 6 from deep and grabbed eight rebounds.
Siena (1-1) led 39-32 at the break. George Washington, which lost to Stony Brook 77-74 in overtime on Tuesday, stayed close throughout the second half and closed to 62-61 following an Arnaldo Toro tipin with 1:32 left. Degnan answered with his last trey of the night and Manny Camper added a layup for a 67-61 advantage in the final seconds.
Justin Mazzulla led George Washington (0-2) with 18 points and eight rebounds. Terry Nolan Jr. added 17 points while grabbing nine boards.
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Jordan scores 19 as Illinois rolls over Evansville 99-60
November 8, 2018
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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) Aaron Jordan scored 19 points and Ayo Dosunmu added 18 as Illinois beat Evansville 99-60 in the season opener for both teams Thursday night.
The Illini played an up-tempo game utilizing nearly every player on the bench. The Aces turned the ball over 25 times, leading to 32 Illini points.
''They were very physical,'' said Evansville coach Walter McCarty. ''But 25 turnovers? You can't win games with numbers like that.''
Andres Feliz and Kipper Nichols added 16 and 13 points respectively for the Illini. Freshman center Giorgi Bezhanishvili grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.
K. J. Riley led the Aces with 14 points. Marty Hill scored 13 points and Shea Feehan added 12 for Evansville.
''There were a lot of things to like tonight,'' said Illinois coach Brad Underwood. ''I was really pleased we had 22 assists. We are capable of that every night. This is a very athletic and unselfish team.''
Illinois was in charge from the opening tip, going on runs of 10-0, 13-0 and 16-1 to lead 53-22 at the break. The Aces turned the ball over 15 times in the first half, leading to 18 Illini points.
Illinois showed a lot of speed and athleticism, and seemingly wore out the Aces by the end of the game.
''We allowed them to get out into transitions a lot off turnovers, and they were very fast,'' McCarty said. ''Our turnovers allowed them to take advantage throughout the whole game, although I thought we were a bit more composed the second half.''
Underwood said his team purposefully slowed the pace in the second half. ''We did slow it down some, simply because of the score.''
Jordan, who was 5 of 8 from the 3-point line, gave credit to his teammates.
''They found me and I took the shots. I love these guys, and I love this team,'' he said. ''We really played fast tonight, faster than I've seen us play. We just grabbed rebounds and we were gone down the court.''
Illinois is 34-2 when starting the season at State Farm Center, including an active streak of 22 straight wins.
BIG PICTURE
Evansville: It was the first time the Aces have played Illinois but they are 15-35 against other Big Ten members.
Illinois: All eyes were on the young Illinois team as coach Brad Underwood starts his second season after going 14-18 overall and 4-14 in the Big Ten last year. Two players expected to make an impact this year, guard Alan Griffin and 7-foot center Samba Kane, didn't play Thursday. Griffin tweaked a knee in practice, while Kane violated an undetermined team rule and was held out. Underwood said both players will be available for the next game.
TURNING POINT
Jordan hit two 3-pointers and scored eight points in less than a minute, sparking a 13-0 run that put the Illini up 35-14 with 8:09 to play in the first half.
ALL TALK
Bezhanishvili, a crowd favorite originally from the country of Georgia before moving to Austria and eventually to New Jersey, was called for a technical foul in the second half, which mystified many since he'd seemingly done nothing wrong.
''Well, I was talking a little too much to the referee,'' he said, smiling broadly. ''I do talk a lot, you know. I should not do that I guess.''
Jordan agreed. ''Giorgi is a personality kind of guy. He'll learn his boundaries eventually.''
HIGHLIGHT REEL
Illinois scored 22 of its 53 first-half points in the paint, including a spectacular cross-court pass from Nichols to Bezhanishvili for a rim-rattling dunk with 30 seconds left in the half that brought the crowd to its feet.
UP NEXT
Evansville: The Aces travel to Xavier on Saturday.
Illinois: The Illini host Georgetown on Tuesday.
