No. 19 UConn cruises past Furman 83-58 to move to 3-0
STORRS, Conn. (AP) Shonn Miller is fitting right in for No. 19 UConn.
Miller scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Huskies to an 83-58 win over Furman on Saturday.
Freshman guard Jalen Adams had the first double-digit game of his career with 14 points and six assists off the bench and Rodney Purvis added 13 points and seven assists.
UConn is 3-0 and hasn't been challenged this season with its three wins coming by an average of 29 points.
UConn wasted little time in putting away Furman (2-2), jumping out to an early 12-1 lead before Furman's first field goal of the game, Matt Rafferty's 3-pointer at 13:20 of the first half.
''We had 20 assists and five turnovers, not too much to complain about,'' UConn coach Kevin Ollie said. ''I'm trying to find something to complain about.''
The Huskies, who began the game with all five starters averaging in double digits, showcased their bench depth in the opening half as they scored 19 points from reserves led by six points from Omar Calhoun and four each from Adams and Kentan Facey. UConn's bench finished with 41 points.
''They are giving me a big-time lift,'' Ollie said of the bench. ''Jalen (Adams) played a wonderful floor game, his best game in a Husky jersey.''
Miller was a unanimous All-Ivy League selection from Cornell last season and came to UConn as an immediately eligible graduate student transfer.
Miller's 18 points showcased his strength and athleticism as the 6-foot-7, 222-pound forward dominated inside. UConn held Furman to 34.8 percent shooting.
''We have so much talent, anyone can lead us any night,'' Miller said. ''I think we are really good and everybody can do different things on every night.''
Ollie wants even more from Miller.
''(Miller) knows where he needs to get the ball and we want him to be more aggressive,'' Ollie said. ''We are trying to design plays for him to score the ball and want him to run and use his athleticism.''
The Huskies dominated the opening 20 minutes, holding Furman to two points in the paint and 20 percent shooting - 5 of 25 - in the first half. Furman shot 36 3-pointers in the game.
''We shot too many 3s today,'' Furman coach Niko Medved said. ''They are a team that for us, is difficult to score on with the big guys inside. We shot too many, but, a lot of good shooters missed a lot of open shots today.''
Furman's Rafferty scored 15 points and Geoff Beans added 14.
TIP-INS: UConn: Sterling Gibbs, a graduate transfer from Seton Hall, had a quiet game, scoring only six points after averaging 20 points per game coming in. UConn and Furman last played in 1991 in the Connecticut Mutual Classic, an 87-61 win by the Huskies in Hartford. Saturday's game was part of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, which began having preliminary mainland games this year. The main tournament begins next Wednesday in the Bahamas with UConn taking on Michigan.
Furman: Furman scored only one field goal inside the 3-point line in the first half, an offensive rebound put-back by Matt Rafferty with 3:34 left in the first half. Furman shot 1 for 8 in the first half on 2-point baskets.
UP NEXT:
UConn will play Michigan in the Bahamas on Wednesday.
Furman will play Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Elon College in Elon, N.C. on Thursday.
