The Washington Huskies not only hosted the Athletes in Action Classic over the weekend, they dominated it.
UW capped a three-game sweep through the season-opening tournament with a 111-55 mauling of Portland State on Sunday before a crowd of 8,236 at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.
Huskies made up half the all-tournament team: Isaiah Thomas and Quincy Pondexter were named co-MVPs, and Matthew Bryan-Amaning also was honored along with Todd Brown and Troy Tabler of Wright State and Scott Saunders of Belmont.
Pondexter capped the tournament with what he conceded might have been the best statistical game of his career: a career-high 29 points and 13 rebounds while shooting 11-of-12 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the foul line.
“I don’t care about that stuff,” he said. “This is all a tribute to what my teammates help me do. A lot of my baskets were assisted by my great guards. Our team played a heck of a game, it wasn’t just necessarily me.”
The closing rout was Washington’s largest margin of victory since a 118-51 win over Morgan State on Nov. 13, 2006.
UW outrebounded the Vikings 47-16, shot 61 percent to PSU’s 40 percent, and had 25 assists to the visitors’ 10.
“I’m pleased with this performance tonight for a number of reasons,” coach Lorenzo Romar said. “Everyone who went into the game played with a high level of intensity. When the spread was so big, there was no let-up in our intensity. We were up 50 points and Scott Suggs dives on the floor for a loose ball. Those are the things that I’m pleased with tonight. Those are the things that suggest habits are forming.”
Portland State actually jumped to a quick 10-4 lead. But once the Huskies started clicking, they didn’t stop. They led 55-29 at halftime, and then managed to be even more dominating in the second half: 56-26.
“We set a goal to keep our foot on the pedal,” junior guard Venoy Overton said. “We remembered last year when we was up 16 with five minutes left and it was a one-point game at the end. We just knew to pound the ball and that way make it a little easier at the end.”
Portland State was led by forward Jamie Jones, who had 14 points and Phil Nelson, who had 13.
“We’re not going to see a lot of teams like the Huskies in (the Big Sky Conference), so we can’t get too down,” PSU first-year coach Tyler Geving said. “Coach Romar’s got a very good team, and they embarrassed us tonight.”
Part of the reason might have been Nelson, who apparently got Pondexter’s attention with some pretournament comments.
Now a junior, Nelson began his career at UW, averaging almost 15 minutes per game as a freshman in 2006-07 before returning to his home state.
“When you hear chatter about guys saying they’re better than you or they have the game circled and they really want to come out and punch you in the mouth, then you’ve got to get ready,” Pondexter said. “I think we are the top dog, and for them to come in here and beat us, that would have been a big accomplishment for them. … I talked to (Nelson) a few times during the game. I told him – I can’t tell you what I told him.”
The Dawg Pack student section also targeted Nelson with boos and chants.
Over the three days Washington went 3-0, Wright State 2-1, Belmont 1-2 and Portland State 0-3.
Romar said the opening games provided hopeful signs to regarding some of the questions he had about his team.
“I thought we had the potential to be a good defensive team, but we were encouraged this week,” he said. “The rebounding issue we weren’t sure of. I’m not saying we’re a great rebounding team, but I think we’re making progress that way. And I think right now we’re doing as good a job of taking care and sharing the ball as probably since we’ve been here.”
Washington is off until Friday when San Jose State visits.
Don Ruiz, 253-597-8808
blog.thenewstribune.com/uwsports
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