The Husky Haul
Fansided

Washington Basketball: The Huskies Lose First Game in Pac-12

By Herbert Nightingale

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 07: Head coach Mike Hopkins of the Washington Huskies looks on during a first-round game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament against the Oregon State Beavers at T-Mobile Arena on March 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Beavers won 69-66 in overtime. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 07: Head coach Mike Hopkins of the Washington Huskies looks on during a first-round game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament against the Oregon State Beavers at T-Mobile Arena on March 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Beavers won 69-66 in overtime. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Washington basketball team lost their first game of Pac-12 play to the Arizona State Sun Devils, 75-63.

On Thursday night, the Washington Huskies beat Arizona in Tucson 67-60 while Arizona State was blown out at home by the Washington State Cougars, 91-70. The Washington Huskies found out it isn’t always easy to win on the road, though they had done so before now. Entering the year, Washington hadn’t completed a road sweep in six years. Since the start of Pac-12 play in January, they’ve done it twice.

I am sure Arizona State Head Coach Bob Hurley is shaking his head wondering why his players can’t play this way in every game. It looked to me like the Sun Devils couldn’t miss a shot while the Huskies couldn’t make a single one. This was close to being true, as ASU shot 62% from the floor while Washington was held to 37%.

The Huskies were able to tie the game at 11-11 at the 14:21 mark of the first half after the Sun Devils took a 5-0 lead to start the game. I am sure most fans on both ends figured it would be a close game all the way but it wasn’t meant to be.

The Sun Devils were able to move the ball with ease in the first half, especially getting the ball inside of Washington’s zone defense. On the other hand, Huskies were unable to make shots on the perimeter. The Sun Devils led at half-time 34-26.

In all the previous Pac-12 games, Washington got off to a good start in the second half. On Saturday night, however, they were unable to do so. The Sun Devils outscored the Huskies 14-6 by the 13:49 mark, extending their lead to 48-32.

The closest the Huskies were able to get back into the game followed a 10-2 run, bringing the deficit within seven points. The Sun Devils were playing with a lot of energy, stopped the bleeding, and extended the lead back into double digits. The final score was ASU 75 UW 63.

The Huskies were led in scoring by Noah Dickerson with 18 points even though he only played 18 minutes. He came off the bench once again due to the injuries he suffered last Saturday against UCLA. Partner that with his foul trouble and he was in for a short night. Dickerson was five of seven on field goals while making eight out of 12 from the foul line.

Senior guard David Crisp was second in scoring with 17, despite it being his second worst night of shooting in conference play. He made four out of 14 from behind the three point line. Jaylen Nowell contributed 15 points, going five of thirteen including three of six behind the arc.

Arizona State’s leading scorer was sophomore forward Romello White with 17 points. He made eight out of nine from the field along with eight rebounds. Freshmen guard Luguentz Dort was second with 15. Four out of five starters for the Sun Devils scored in double figures.

Senior forward Zylan Cheatham was the only starter not in double digits with nine points. He did add seven assists along with nine rebounds. He was the energizer bunny for the Sun Devils.

Washington basketball heads to Pullman, Washington to take on rival Washington State Cougars next Saturday February 16. The long week off should help rejuvenate an ailing Huskies team. The Cougars swept the two Arizona schools on the road this week after being only 1-8 in Pac-12 play.

Home/Basketball