Huskies snap two-game losing streak, cruise to 72-40 victory over USC
Minutes after Washington’s loss to UCLA on Thursday, freshman Isaiah Stewart lamented that the Huskies spent the first half playing like their “legs were stuck in sand.”
First halves haven’t been kind to the Huskies this season, and the slow starts have been a frequent source of displeasure. But the loss to the Bruins took the frustration to another level. It was a game, said point guard Quade Green, that UW should have won. Suddenly in the midst of a two-game losing streak, the Huskies were determined to make a statement against USC on Sunday.
One 72-40 victory later, and it’s safe to say they did just that. The Huskies’ legs certainly weren’t stuck in any sand, but that’s exactly how they made the Trojans look — only for all 40 minutes. UW opened on an 8-0 run, holding USC to 21.2 percent shooting in the first half en route to building a 14-point lead at the break. The Huskies then cruised to the 32-point win, their largest in Pac-12 play since a 32-point victory over Cal in 2011.
“We had to up the pressure,” Green said. “We had to. We came up with a 30-point win today. We had to make a statement off the loss. Couldn’t lose twice on our home floor.”
If the loss against UCLA raised concerns about UW’s ability to defend its Pac-12 regular season title, the Huskies put their full potential on display against a USC team that entered Alaska Airlines Arena on a six-game winning streak.
“You saw it in our last game in the second half,” head coach Mike Hopkins said of his team’s energy. “You didn’t see it for 40 minutes. That’s where we challenged these guys. It’s not about making shots and missing shots, it’s about playing great team defense and finishing and being tough at rebounding. I thought those guys did that tonight. They executed the game plan.”
The Huskies never trailed, but if there was a moment when they truly solidified their control, it came shortly after USC cut the lead to 16-14 with 8:22 left in the first half. After a timeout on the floor, UW responded with a jumper from Green and a 3-pointer from Nahziah Carter. The Trojans called a quick timeout, but Green followed with another jump shot to complete the 7-0 spurt.
The Huskies held USC to just seven points for the remainder of the first half, and they never faltered in the second. The Trojans didn’t get closer than 12 points while UW led by as many as 35.
It was undoubtedly the Huskies’ most complete performance of the season. They dominated on defense, holding the Trojans to 20 percent shooting, including 13.3 percent from the 3-point line. Hopkins has often talked about UW’s ability to become an elite defensive team, and the win over USC offered a glimpse of it. A game after allowing UCLA’s Jake Kyman to make seven 3-pointers, including the game-winner, the Huskies forced USC to go 2-of-15.
“We want to make sure it’s not just defending the three, it’s defending the right guys,” Hopkins said. “The thing that was really interesting today is when they got the ball in the paint, we had length and athleticism flying around, which made it very difficult to score in the paint.
“That was what I loved the most was how active we were when they did get the ball in the paint. They were making decisions in the way that we can. We had 30 deflections in the first half. That’s activity. That’s disruption. That’s what winning basketball is all about.”
Offensively, UW finally pieced together the balance its been searching for. Stewart, the Huskies’ leading scorer, still led the way with 18 points and 10 rebounds. But Green joined him in double figures with 14 points and five assists while Jaden McDaniels packed the stat sheet with 11 points, five rebounds, six blocks, three assists and two steals. Carter added nine points, six rebounds and four blocks.
The victory also served as a kind of coming out party for redshirt freshman Nate Roberts, who finished with seven points, seven rebounds and three rim-shaking dunks. With Stewart and Hameir Wright both dealing with foul trouble early, Roberts played 13 minutes in the first half and finished with a career-high 22. The Huskies got 15 total points from their bench.
“It felt great,” Roberts said. “I’m finally getting my opportunity to prove what I’ve been working on and what we’ve been working on in practice everyday. Got to give all the credit to my guys today, finding me in certain areas. Being able to provide energy and bring that spark to the game. … It was a great feeling.”
Said Green: “He does it in practice everyday. That’s what he does: Rebounding and dunks. He dunks on a lot of people, too. He came out. He was ready to play. He went all out today.”
Now, the Huskies will head out on the road for their first road swing against Stanford and Cal. Coming off a dominant victory, Roberts and Green agreed that UW is leaving Seattle with momentum.
“(Opponents) are going to have to pick their poison, that’s what they’re going to do because everybody on the floor is a lethal weapon to score,” Green said. “They’re going to have to pick and choose what they want to take away and what they want to give up.”
This story was originally published January 5, 2020 at 9:19 PM.
