Kevin Ollie
Connecticut head coach Kevin Ollie, here coaching against Furman on Saturday, will face Jim Boeheim and Syracuse in the Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals on Thursday.
(Michael Dwyer | The Associated Press)
Paradise Island, Bahamas — Daniel Hamilton had 16 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, and No. 18 UConn beat Michigan 74-60 on Wednesday night in the opening round of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
The Huskies (4-0) dominated most of the second half, leading by as many as 19. The lead dissipated down the stretch, but they were able to get some clutch baskets in the final minutes.
Shonn Miller and Rodney Purvis each had 13 points for the Huskies.
The Wolverines (2-2) got as close as eight late, but couldn't sting together enough offense. They also had few answers for Connecticut's frontcourt.
Caris LeVert led Michigan with 21 points. The Wolverines shot 32 percent from the field.
After trailing for most of the half, Michigan closed to 63-55 on a basket by LeVert with less than four minutes to play. But coming out of a timeout, Hamilton got free and drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key.
Following a Michigan miss on the other end, the Huskies were fouled and Shonn Miller made two free throws to push the lead up to 13.
The Huskies had their way on the boards, building a 42-31 advantage on the glass.
Connecticut pushed the pace early and had as much as a 16-point lead in the opening 20 minutes.
It stayed that way for most of the second half until the Wolverines rallied with about six minutes to play.
Connecticut advances to play Syracuse in Thursday's semifinals at 3:30 p.m. Syracuse beat Charlotte earlier on Wednesday.
The Wolverines will face Charlotte in the consolation bracket.