After a lackluster loss to Tennessee the No. 25 ranked Washington Huskies bounced back with a 72-53 win over Maine Tuesday night to improve to 3-1 on the season.
Washington started the first half slowly once again but were sparked by high flying junior guard Nahziah Carter. This dunk came on a fast break where Jaden McDaniels lobed it up to Carter who finished the alley-oop with one hand bringing the crowd into a frenzy. Carter added two more impressive dunks including a windmill dunk in the next few minutes that sparked a 15-0 UW run as the Huskies took a 32-13 lead with under four minutes left in the half. Washington would put it in cruise control after that as 17 Huskies ended up seeing the floor.
“You better make it or you’ll be sitting next to me,” Coach Mike Hopkins joked on Nahziah Carter’s windmill dunk.
Washington’s defense was stout all game forcing the Black Bears into a lot of difficult shots. The Huskies started off in man-to-man defense before altering back-and-fourth to zone defense. Washington finished with 10 steals and four blocks. Maine shot just 21-51 from the field and had 20 turnovers. One of the most impressive stats of the night was UW committing just eight personal fouls.
“I was pretty impressed with the way we defended tonight,” Hopkins told reporters after the game. Hopkins also said with all the length they have on the roster the zone can be very disruptive.
The Huskies’ offense was a mixed bag for the most part. In the half court, UW struggled to do much of anything. But when the Huskies were out in transition, that’s where they thrived. Washington finished with 16 fast break points. It’s still a work in progress but right now UW just isn’t clicking on offense.
Three Huskies finished in double-figures scoring. Isaiah Stewart scored 16 points to lead the way. Quade Green was an impressive 5-5 shooting from the field and finished with 11 points. Jaden McDaniels struggled, shooting 4-17 from the field, scoring 11 points.
Players of the Game
Isaiah Stewart finished the game with 16 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks. So far Stewart has lived up to all the hype.
Quade Green quietly commanded the offense and had his best game as a Husky. Green finished, as mentioned earlier, 5-5 shooting from the field and scored 11 points.
Looking Ahead
The Huskies are back in action this Friday at home against Montana at 8 p.m.
