Washington held Utah to just two points the first 11 minutes of the 2nd half to pull away for a 62-45 win at Alaska Airlines Arena. Five Huskies (21-5, 12-1) scored in double figures as Washington used a balanced attack to win their 13th consecutive home game this season.
Utah may have scored just 19 points in the 2nd half of the game but believe it or not they came out the aggressors in this game jumping to a 17-7 lead with Sedrick Barefield providing 12 of those points as he nailed his first four 3-point attempts.
Washington looked poised for another slow start as they missed six of their first seven 3-point attempts, many of them open looks.
Patience would win the day, Washington tightened up defensively and the offense got better. They capped a 7-0 run capped with a top of the key trey from Matisse Thybulle on a pass from David Crisp to tie the game at 20 with 6:12 to go in the first-half.
Crisp would come up with another big assist right before halftime finding Dominic Green for a 35 footer that gave Washington a 33-27 lead at the break.
Utah did not make a field goal until the 8:50 mark in the 2nd half when Both Gath got a 3-pointer to fall. The damage was done, Washington had just extended their lead to 17 and never looked back.
Keys to the Game
Washington is Good in Ugly Games
Neither team shot the ball well with Washington hitting just 40% of their shots including just 20% from beyond the arc but the Huskies were able to take care of the ball (9 turnovers) and crash the offensive glass to the tune of 11 offensive rebounds.
Utah on the other hand shot just 28% for the night and made just five field goals the whole second half. The Utes actually had more turnovers (18) then made baskets (14) for the night.
We mentioned in our preview how Utah had been the healthiest team in the conference, apparently the jinx worked as Freshman Timmy Allen, who is making a run for Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, missed the game with a bad back. Allen had been averaging 11.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg and 2.3 apg so the Utes had to run everything on offense through Barefield.
Washington’s Ability to Contest Shots
Utah came into the game 2nd in the conference in scoring but were held 34 points below their average. It wasn’t an aberration either as Washington held them to just 52 in Salt Lake last month. The Utes came into the game shooting 47.4% from the field best in the conference and Washington held them 19% below that average. What was so impressive about the beginning of the second half was that it felt like the Utes didn’t even have a chance to make a field goal.
Oh and while Barefield made his first four 3’s, he went on to miss his next nine shots and was held scoreless the final 33 minutes.
Naz Carter Owns the Utes
Many will remember Naz Carter had a break-out performance in the first meeting between the two teams when he scored a game-high 18 points off the bench. Carter was again the Huskies leading scorer with 12 points on Thursday night while shooting 5 of 6 from the field.
Outlook
Washington took care of business and now gets an extra day to prepare for Colorado who couldn’t hold on to a late lead and fell to Washington State 74-76. The balanced scoring is encouraging for Washington, they were able to control the tempo and make Utah play a style they aren’t comfortable with. On to the grades.
Wright – 6 – Wright had one of his better rebounding games grabbing 6 in 17 minutes. He also blocked a shot. The cause for concern is that he missed all four of his attempts including three 3-pointers. Wright came into the game shooting 26% from the field on the year and 20% from beyond the arc. His lack of confidence has appeared to affect his shooting form which is something you hope the coaches can help him sort out.
Thybulle – 9 – Filled the stat sheet scoring 10 points to go with 7 rebounds 6 steals and 4 blocks. Utah jumped to an early 10 point lead but it could have been much more if Thybulle didn’t block 3 shots in the first 7 minutes.
Nowell – 6 – Nowell’s only game in Pac-10 play that he didn’t score in double figures was the first game against Utah and he barely made it tonight scoring 10 points on 5 of 14 shooting from the field. Positives came in the form of Nowell grabbing 8 rebounds and playing solid defense.
Dickerson – 7 – Dickerson scored 11 points and grabbed 3 boards in 25 minutes. He had some nifty moves inside but also had two offensive fouls where he was a bit out of control and dealt with foul trouble.
Timmins – 3 – Timmins picked up 4 fouls in 2 minutes in the 2nd half. No that’s not a typo. Some of the calls were ticky-tacky but as a veteran he has to adjust to how the game is being called so he doesn’t foul out in 5 minutes.
Carter – 9 – Sometimes shots fall and sometimes they don’t but Carter’s athleticism comes to the gym every night. He had some impressive drives and caught an alley-oop that pleased the crowd.
Green – 6 – The box score will read Green went just 2 of 7 from the field but his first three right before the half was the first time Washington had led by more than 3. Green also grabbed 6 rebounds including 2 back-breaking offensive rebounds when Utah was trying to get back into the game.
Bey, E. Hardy, J. Crandall, Q. Bernard and T. Rice – NR – Mike Hopkins was able to empty his bench at the end of the game. It was good to see Hardy bank in a shot and Crandall steal a rebound from two Utah big men fighting over the ball, in what was a fitting end to the night for the Utes.
