Washington basketball fell once again at the hands of the #9 ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs on Sunday night, 83-76
Washington basketball only led the game after Jaden McDaniels hit a three-pointer to put them ahead 5-2. The Huskies were able to keep it close the rest of the way, but the closest they got was tying the score late in the game.
Especially down the stretch, the game was a roller coaster. The Huskies would cut the lead to two points, and then all of a sudden Gonzaga would stretch it back out to seven.
Washington played out of control, especially in the first half, where they accounted for 11 of their 19 turnovers. Despite that, the Huskies ended up shooting 50.9% from the field. The Huskies are improving from behind the three-point line, they went 9/23 . Junior forward Nahziah Carter hit two of those threes with under two minutes to play.
Bulldogs sophomore guard Joel Ayayi responded to Carter by hitting a three with 24 seconds remaining to seal the game. Ayayi had 12 points on the night. Gonzaga had five players total who scored in double digits. Sophomore forward Filip Petrusev led the team with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
The Huskies had a tough time stopping the Bulldogs on the offensive glass, they had 11 offensive rebounds compared to the Huskies’ four.
Isaiah Stewart led the Huskies in scoring and rebounding with 21 points and 10 boards. McDaniels and Carter tied for second on the team in points, with 15 points each on the night.
Sophomore guard Quade Green, who came off the bench against Eastern Washington was back in the starting lineup against the Zags. He recorded 14 points and eight assists on the night.
The Huskies showed some positives and some negatives in the big test, but they proved that they can hang with the best, and will be a force to reckon with come Pac-12 play. The Huskies have a long break before their next game, which will take place on December 17th at Alaska Airlines Arena against Seattle University.