PHILADELPHIA — Tarris Reed Jr. exploded for career highs of 31 points and 27 rebounds, powering No. 2 seed UConn to an 82-71 win over No. 15 seed Furman in a first-round NCAA Tournament matchup Friday.
Reed shot 12-for-15 from the field and corralled 11 of his rebounds on the offensive glass as UConn (30-5) overcame a poor 3-point shooting night to stave off the Southern Conference champions. The Huskies will face seventh-seeded UCLA in the second round of the East Region on Sunday.
“My mindset coming into the game is really just to be dominant,” Reed said. |This is my last March Madness. My days are numbered in college basketball. Just giving all I got and having fun with the guys around me. We have a special team and special coaching staff. Really just have fun and enjoy the process and enjoy the journey.”
Alex Karaban, who’s aiming for his third national title in four seasons, supported Reed with 22 points and freshman Braylon Mullins supplied 12 points, six assists and three steals while shrugging off an 0-for-8 night from 3-point range.
Tom House and Alex Wilkins had 21 points and four 3-pointers apiece to guide Furman (22-13), which stayed in the game thanks to 9-of-24 shooting from deep. UConn made just 5 of 25 but outrebounded Furman 44-23.
UConn also won despite holding out starting guard Silas Demary Jr. (ankle) and reserve forward Jaylin Stewart (knee). Malachi Smith had seven assists in Demary’s place in the lineup.
The Huskies’ lead oscillated between six and 11 points for most of the second half, as the Huskies couldn’t quite shake the Paladins. Wilkins was scoreless in the half until knocking down a triple with 6:41 to play, bringing his team within five.
Mullins made an athletic steal near halfcourt and got it up ahead to Reed for a dunk and a 72-65 lead with five minutes to go.
Furman finally fizzled out, missing nine of its last 13 shots. On one late UConn possession, Reed gobbled up two offensive rebounds before Karaban hit the 3-pointer that essentially iced it.
“He’s a top two or three center in the country,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said of Reed. “When he plays like that, we can win any game against any team in the tournament when we’re healthy.”
Furman grabbed a brief 19-18 lead as Wilkins’ trio of 3-pointers ignited a 15-6 run. Reed responded with a personal 8-0 run that included one offensive rebound and two more at the other end — helping him achieve a double-double less than 12 minutes into the game.
Charles Johnston (10 points) hit a buzzer-beating 3 for Furman to cut the margin to 40-36 at halftime. Reed finished the half with 19 points and 16 boards, while Wilkins had amassed 15 points for the Paladins.
–Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media
