I think Amida Brimah’s finger is healed.
The big man had arguably the best game of his career on Thursday night, helping UConn secure their most important win of the season, a 68-62 victory over #21 SMU. Brimah’s 16 points and five blocks were the most he’s recorded in a game since the team’s season-opener against Maine. His eight rebounds were a season-high. The key for Brimah was staying out of foul trouble.
“We’re looking it up now,” joked coach Kevin Ollie after the game. “But I don’t know that he’s had a game without a foul in the first half.”
Brimah’s performance helped set the tone on both ends of the floor. UConn’s defense was stout, especially in the second half. SMU’s best attack against Brimah typically involved guard Nic Moore lofting floaters as high as humanly possible to get it over Brimah’s reach. The Huskies did a good job keeping SMU off the offensive glass. The Mustangs managed only five second chance points on 12 offensive rebounds.
On offense, the Huskies made the most of their opportunities. They scored 12 points off turnovers, had 12 second chance points, and overcame a poor showing from three-point range by shooting over 50 percent from the floor in the second half.
While Brimah was dominant at times, it was Daniel Hamilton who hit UConn’s two biggest shots of the night. The first was an 800-foot (estimate) three-pointer with just under four minutes left and the shot clock running low. It gave the Huskies a nine point lead — important since UConn would not score again until over three minutes later.
With the lead trimmed to two following a 7-0 SMU run, Hamilton put in a floater in the lane with 48 seconds remaining. SMU couldn’t respond and Hamilton would hit two free throws to close the scoring and cement the victory.
The other star of the night for the Huskies was Jalen Adams — or, “the little freshman point guard,” as SMU coach Larry Brown called him. Coming off the bench again, Adams was a revelation in the second half. He showed quickness, poise and purpose, utilizing sublime ball-handling skills to get past SMU’s defenders at will. The official stats show only nine points and zero assists, but it was Adams’ presence on the court that ignited the Husky offense and provided penetration — a skill that’s been missing for much of the season without Adams on the floor.
The win moves UConn to 19-7 and into second place in the AAC, one game behind Temple. Equally important, Thursday’s victory does a lot to bolster the Huskies’ tournament resume. Signature wins are hard to come by in this conference, and securing a critical home win against the lone ranked team on the conference schedule is significant.
UConn will be given an opportunity to build on their recent momentum when they travel to Cincinnati on Saturday. At this point in the season, stringing together big wins is a positive for morale as well as the standings. “We can’t get drunk off a win at SMU,” said Ollie. “We gotta stay sober. Get in the lab tomorrow. Take care of business on Saturday.”
Notes:
- Rodney Purvis saw most of his minutes go to Adams and Omar Calhoun on Thursday. While he did play some great defense — especially in the first half — Purvis couldn’t get his shot going. He finished with three points on 1-6 shooting.
- Sam Cassell, Jr. came into the game late in the first half to guard Moore. It was an… interesting strategy. It also didn’t work. The experiment lasted two minutes.
- Shonn Miller is such a treat to watch, especially on offense. He is in complete control. He had 12 points and seven rebounds in the game. Several of his five field goals came on gorgeous moves on the low block.
- While more free throw attempts would’ve been ideal, the Huskies made 13 of their 15 shots from the stripe. If their offense can operate at even a passable level late in games, their free throw shooting will hold any lead they can muster.
- UConn’s jerseys were terrible. Wearing the road blues during a home game is an odd choice to begin with, but the uniforms were insanely tight, strangely cut at the shoulders, and featured bizarre striped shorts. Not to be outdone, Ollie wore maroon pants on the sideline.
- The XL Center crowd was dope. They were loud. They stood for prolonged sections of the game. Can’t say enough about their performance. Really makes you wish UConn had more games on the schedule worth getting excited about.
