3 takeaways from Washington’s win over Seattle U
It took until the final five minutes, but No. 22 Washington (8-2) extended its decades-long winning streak over crosstown rival Seattle University on Tuesday night at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.
Freshman Isaiah Stewart scored a career-high 27 points and keyed the late offensive push that lifted UW to an eventual 81-59 win. Sophomore Quade Green matched his season-high with 20 points; freshman Jaden McDaniels pitched in 10.
Three things we learned from the win:
Isaiah Stewart finishes 20-10 again
Stewart gets better and better each time out.
A week after finishing with 21 points and 10 rebounds against a Gonzaga team that should again be an NCAA Tournament contender, Stewart eclipsed that with game-highs in points (27) and boards (13) against Seattle U, finishing with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds for his second consecutive game.
When Stewart notched his first career 20-10 against Gonzaga, he became the first UW freshman to accomplish the feat since Markelle Fultz — the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft following his only season with the Huskies — did the same against the Bulldogs with 25 points and 10 boards in 2016.
“I feel like all it is is just patience, trusting my teammates, my coaches and not speeding up,” Stewart said of his progression during his first five weeks of college ball. “I know my teammates have my back, and they trust me to catch the pass when they throw it in there.”
Stewart said he runs drills with UW assistant coach Cameron Dollar in practice to learn how to work through the different defensive looks that are thrown his way, and the results are telling. Stewart has been the Huskies’ leading scorer in six of their 10 games, and has four double-doubles.
“Things like that help,” Stewart said. “Credit to the coaching staff, they’re preparing us very well.”
With UW clinging to a small lead with about five minutes to play Tuesday, Stewart ignited the offense by piecing together a 7-0 run by himself, capping it by tipping in a teammate’s missed jumper. The Huskies ended the game on a 21-5 run.
“We’ve got to feed him,” Green said. “He’s open. You see what happens. … Just feed him. He’s going to make the right decisions.”
Green is getting comfortable
In his first season with the Huskies after transferring from Kentucky, Green seems to have established a nice rhythm the past two weeks.
He’s poured in double-digit points in each of UW’s past three games — including matching a season-high with 20 points against Seattle U — and has collected 19 assists during that span.
Green was particularly efficient against the Redhawks, finishing 7-for-8 shooting with four 3-pointers. He collected seven of his points in the final three minutes, giving the Huskies a double-digit lead they never lost on a jumper with 2:59 to go.
He also had three assists, including tossing up an alley-oop dunk to Nahziah Carter in the game’s final seconds.
“He’s a special player,” UW coach Mike Hopkins said. “He’s a gamer for sure.”
Turnovers still a problem
Perhaps the biggest reason it took so long for UW to pull away from the Redhawks? It’s a familiar one.
Turnovers.
The Huskies committed 14 against Seattle U, including nine in the first half that contributed to a 33-32 deficit at the break. Carter committed a team-high four turnovers for UW, while McDaniels and Hameir Wright each had three.
Troubling as that is, it’s been a regular occurrence for UW in the early goings. The Huskies average 14.9 turnovers per game — among the bottom 25 percent of Division I programs — and have turned the ball over 10 or more times in all but one game this season.
What’s worse? Opponents are taking advantage, averaging 13.5 points per game off UW turnovers. Seattle U capitalized for 16 points.
This story was originally published December 18, 2019 at 11:20 AM.
