Men’s basketball overcomes a sluggish start to erupt on Bellarmine in the second half.
Just when the Huskies felt ice cold offensively, Koren Johnson and Keion Brooks Jr caught fire shooting the basketball as the Huskies pulled away in the second half to win 91-57.
It was the home opener that the fans deserved to see.
When Brooks missed a wide-open dunk with just over seven minutes left in the first half, it felt like the theme of the game for a Huskies offense that was trailing 19-15 and just couldn’t get anything going. Bellarmine would immediately respond with a three-pointer and the Huskies were facing a 22-15 deficit.
“Got to be focused on every possession or they’ll make you pay,” head coach Mike Hopkins said. “Felt it in the first half, they played their pace. We were turning it over and we were a little bit tight, seemed like we couldn’t get into a rhythm or flow.”
That’s when the Huskies decided to turn it on.
Washington went on a 20-5 run in the last seven minutes of the half, and never took its foot off the gas.
Johnson and Brooks combined for the next ten straight field goals for the Huskies, jumping out to a 63-38 lead in the blink of an eye. It felt like every time the Huskies took a shot, it made its way through the net.
“You know, [Koren Johnson] is shooting the ball as well as anybody,” Hopkins said. “We’ve got some good guards and he’s playing exceptionally well right now.”
1-0!#TougherTogether x #Devoted pic.twitter.com/DrtG0uhThv
— Washington Men's Basketball (@UW_MBB) November 7, 2023
The Huskies shot 69.7% from the field in the second half, going 7-13 from deep and putting the game away. Bellarmine was unable to get shots to fall throughout the contest, finishing just 34.4% from the field with 20 turnovers.
Koren Johnson finished with 25 points and two assists on 10-14 shooting and 5-8 from three. Keion Brooks Jr was right behind him with 22 points, three rebounds, and two assists on 9-15 shooting and 2-3 from beyond the arc.
The Huskies will look to keep their efficient offense rolling when they play Northern Kentucky on Thursday, November 9 at 8 p.m.
The Lady Huskies took an early lead over Sacramento State and never looked back in 76-28 victory.
After Dalayah Daniels delivered a layup 14 seconds into the game, the rest of the matchup felt like a layup for the Women’s team against Sacramento State after finishing the first quarter on an 11-0 run and never looked back from there.
Washington executed brilliantly in all aspects of the game, producing 30 points off turnovers while shooting 46% from the field and 40.7% from the perimeter. The game was practically over by halftime, as the Huskies took a 40-13 lead heading into the third quarter.
Huskies up at the half!
Elle Ladine leading all scorers with 10 points. pic.twitter.com/1ZcJsA2UHt
— Washington Women’s Basketball (@UW_WBB) November 7, 2023
Elle Ladine stole the show offensively for the Dawgs, pouring in 20 points with five rebounds and an assist, shooting an efficient 9-15 from the field and 2-3 from deep. Ari Long finished second on the squad with 10 points on 4-8 shooting.
Sacramento State never got anything going offensively against Washington, shooting an abysmal 1-13 in the fourth quarter which encapsulated the team’s performance as a whole. After Sacramento State defeated Washington 74-71 back in 2009, the Huskies got their revenge in the 76-28 beatdown in a statement victory.
“Defensively I think we want to be a team that can really take people out of what they’re doing and be efficient on that end of the floor,” head coach Tina Langley said. “I love the way we stayed locked in and cared about both ends of the floor execution-wise.”
It was a great start for the Women’s team who will look to carry that momentum into a matchup against North Carolina Central at home on Thursday, November 9 at 5:00 p.m.
