Centerville grad ends college career with 21-point performance in NCAA tournament

Furman trailed throughout the second half but twice cut the UConn lead to five points in the last seven minutes.

“I would say it was pretty amazing,” House said in the postgame press conference. “We knew that if we could get it to the last ten minutes and it was close that people would start to rally behind us, so we were kind of feeding off that. We just appreciate the support of our fans specifically, but it was awesome.”

In his first NCAA tournament game, House earned his first start since Feb. 25. e moved in and out of the starting lineup throughout the season. He averaged 8.5 points in 33 games.

“Had a ton of adversity, not only this year, but throughout my year,” House said. “It’s made me a better man, a better player. Everything is either going to break you or it’s going to make you. So I’m appreciative for the struggles, and I’m appreciative for the opportunity to go out there and put my best foot forward. You have to just love every opportunity and it will help you get to a better place.”

Former Dayton Flyers guard Malachi Smith, a fifth-year graduate student, also made his NCAA tournament debut in the game. He made his first start of the season for UConn and had four points and seven assists in 32 minutes.

“The guy is such a good guy,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said, “and he’s got such a great spirit and he’s probably a guy that will be on our coaching staff at some point.”

Smith hurt his knee in practice Wednesday, Hurley said, but played 32 minutes with starting guard Silas Demery sidelined by an injury.

“The guy’s a warrior and showed that New York toughness today,” Hurley said.

Here’s a quick glance at how other local players fared in the first round:

• Centerville graduate Gabe Cupps scored three points in five minutes in Ohio State’s 65-64 loss to Texas Christian on Thursday.

• Miami East graduate Wes Enis scored four points on 2-of-15 shooting in South Florida’s 83-79 loss to Louisville on Thursday.

• Centerville graduate Jonathan Powell scored three points on 1-of-6 shooting for North Carolina in an 82-78 overtime loss to Virginia Commonwealth on Thursday.

• Dayton native Shawn Phillips Jr., a former Belmont High School student, scored six points on 3-of-6 shooting for Missouri in an 80-66 loss to the Miami Hurricanes on Friday.