Danny Sprinkle and the Washington Huskies end their non-conference schedule and the 2024 calendar year with a bang and get back on track after they defeat the Highlanders of the New Jersey Institute of Technology with a convincing victory of 90-53.
The entire offense was clicking as EIGHT different players scored eight or more points and the team shot 56 percent (34/61) from the field and 42 percent (10/24) from beyond the three-point line. The Huskies' passing was also very good as they totaled 21 assists on their 34 made shots. Washington's defense also deserves a bit of credit, as the Huskies racked up 12 total steals, six blocks, and had 33 total rebounds, 25 of which were defensive rebounds.
The first half was all Washington as the Huskies took a commanding 20 point lead of 46-26 going into halftime. Great Osobor opened up the first half with five straight points to set the tone, and ended the first half with seven points. Osobor didn't have to contribute as many minutes as usual due to the game getting out of hand in Washington's favor early, and he only played 17 total minutes in the game.
Wilhelm Breidenbach also shined in his first game back since the face injury from a hard fall in the Apple Cup, dropping in seven points in the first half, including a 3-pointer. The Huskies went on a 13-4 run halfway through the first half which helped them gain a lead of 14 over NJIT. To make Husky fans even happier, the Dawgs went on a 30-10 that started at the end of the first half and carried its way halfway through the second half, ballooning the Huskies lead up to 30 points.
The second half continued to be all Huskies, which was led by freshman Zoom Diallo as he swished and dished in the second half. Diallo knocked in 10 out of his 12 total points which was tied from the team-high in points in 26 minutes , and ended with a team high of five assists.
His development under coach Danny Sprinkle will be very fun to watch within the Huskies program, for however long that may be.
Another bright spot was freshman Christian King with nine points cashing in three three-pointers and shooting 60 percent on the day. The Huskies outscored the Highlanders 44 to 27 in the second half thanks to the continuation of the 30-10 run from the first half, along with another 14-4 run halfway through the second half.
As mentioned, Diallo was one of the Huskies leading scorers with 12 points and five assists, but Osobor tied him as the leading scorer with 12 points and six rebounds. Breidenbach was back like he never left and was second in scoring with 10 points, and grabbed five rebounds for himself.
Rhode Island transfer Luis Kortright dropped in nine points, shooting a perfect 100 percent from the field (4/4) in just 15 minutes. For the Highlanders, sophomore guard Sebastian Robinson put up 16 points, but was only 23 percent from the field (5/22).
The Huskies advance to a 9-4 record and continue their home stretch of games with the start of Big Ten Conference play versus the 11-2 Maryland Terrapins on January 2. This will be a real test for the Dawgs as the only teams that the Terrapins have lost to were No. 8 Marquette and No. 21 Purdue. The Terrapins are led by 6 foot 10 freshman center, Deriq Queen who was the No. 12 ranked player in the country for the class of 2024. It will be a must watch game for the Dawgs and a game that could really show what direction the team is going to take this year.