Ross and the Dawgs beat the Cougs 75-65

by: Griffin Bennett

It was the game that many of us have been waiting for all season. The game in which Romar finally got his team motivated to perform. The game where Terrence Ross would finally show his NBA lottery-self. And the game where the Huskies finally responded after taking an early gut punch.

After the first half, down 31-25 shooting 29% from the field, it was looking all too familiar.  Poor effort, bad shots, and a propensity to turn the ball over had most Husky fans, including myself, eager to change the channel. The loss of C.J. Wilcox to a “stress induced hip injury” (still waiting to hear more on this) before the tip seemed to doom the game before it even began.

As the second began, it looked like more of the same. Down near 10, the Dawgs were launching three after three and nothing seemed to want to fall. Then it all changed.

It was as if Romar reached his breaking point and the same time as all of us. His frustration over his own team boiled over as a poor call by an official made him blow his lid like I’ve never seen. Mortal Kombat began as he and his blazer squared off in a epic match that is destined to become a YouTube sensation. After his blazer submitted, the refs call a technical and Romar was greeted by roars from the Dawg Pack.

It was as if he was speaking (or raging) for all of us. WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH! Remember the first time you saw your parents get mad? Like REALLY mad? That was this moment for this young Husky team. It was their “Oh shit!” moment. Cue the 28-5 Husky run (or something close to that) and the Husky season was still alive and balance was returned to the Force.

While Romar’s finest moment of the season paramount for the game, it takes a player to  listen and respond for these moments to occur. Terrence Ross responded. In his finest moment as a Husky, he was completely En Fuego as he drained three after three and brought the whole house down when he caught Gaddy’s lob pass for a dunk and one.

That killer instinct that I’ve been waiting for from him not only showed up, if burst out of him. Now let’s hope that he’s found his confidence and he can continue it for the rest of the season.

Positives:

• Terrence Ross – 30 points, 14 rebounds, and a night that we’ll never forget. All you have to say.
• Aziz N’diaye – His hands looked softer and he was making fluid and effective post moves. I was very impressed as he took on a solid Cougar front court. He finished with 12 points, 8 rebounds, 4-4 from the line, and in only 26 minutes.
• Rebounding – It was a destruction on the boards by the Dawgs. They won the battle 46-24 while getting 22 offensive boards. It helped keep UW alive in the first half while icing the game late in the second. Simmons, Aziz, Gant, and Ross all did very well.
• Darnell Gant – It’s been a while since the senior has been in this category. He totaled 13 points and 8 rebounds while shooting 5-7 from the field and 3-5 from deep. He was finally an effective weapon that is desperately needed from the post.

Negatives:

•  Hikeem Stewart – The human water bottle. He does nothing other than help other players rest up. He played 10 minutes and recorded 1 assist and 1 foul. Other than that, you wouldn’t be able to tell what he did. His night consists of catching passes around the perimeter and then passing it right back. We could really use Suggs and Andrews right about now…
• Consistency – UW’s 25 first half points were doubled in the second half but in order for this Husky team to truly take the next step, they need to play a solid 40 minutes.
• Assists/Turnovers – It was an unacceptable 14/10 tonight but this team needs to be in the 20’s in terms of assists per night. At this point it isn’t one player’s issue, it’s the team’s offense that is the issue. There’s too much one-on-ones and standing around. It has gotten better in the last few games, but it needs to continue to improve.

Overall:

Let’s just say that I went from texting “I hate watching these guys” to “I’d drink Ross’ bath water” after the second 20 minutes. From the ineptitude that was the first half, to Romar’s tech, to Ross’ explosion, it was one of the most thrilling wins that I’ve watched.

With that said, we need to ride this wave into this clutch week at home against the Bay Area schools. Wins against these two teams would put the Huskies in the driver’s seat for the conference title. Wilcox’s status is still unknown for this week and that could be a huge factor. Regardless, the Huskies won’t survive another first half like that had on Sunday.

Get ready for the biggest home stand of the year. Bow Down.