The Washington women’s basketball team (15-13, 7-11 Pac-12) had a tough weekend in Los Angeles, going 0-2 with a 47-43 loss to USC followed by a 70-62 defeat to No. 17 UCLA.
The first half of the USC matchup at the Galen Center was very low scoring for both teams, with the Trojans taking a 17-11 lead. Over the course of the first quarter, the Huskies shot a mere 7 percent, collecting just one field goal. That number was bumped up to 27 percent in the second quarter.
The team had its best run in the fourth and final quarter, going 8-15 in the field (53 percent). Washington put up a very tough defensive battle overall, holding USC to shooting 28 percent – well below their average. UW also out-rebounded USC 43-33.
Freshman guard Elle Ladine was the Huskies’ lead scorer with nine points, while sophomore forward Dalayah Daniels led with seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Jayda Noble topped both teams with three total steals. The 47 points that the Trojans scored tied for their second-lowest scoring game of the season.
Against UCLA in Pauley Pavilion, the Huskies found themselves down 16-13 early on, with the lead shifting back and forth a total of 14 times throughout the afternoon in their last regular-season game.
Once the second quarter came around, freshman guard Hannah Stines stepped up, going 2-for-2 from beyond the arc. Senior center Darcy Rees and freshman guard Elle Ladine were also on top of it. By the end of the first half, both teams were upping their game. UW banked in its last five of six shots, and UCLA made four out of five from the field.
Turnovers proved to be one of the Huskies’ main problems in this game. The team accumulated 17 in total, compared to the Bruins’ eight. Shot clock violations are also going to have to be addressed with quicker ball motion.
Senior forward Haley Van Dyke recorded her 200th career assist, while also leading Washington with 12 total points. Ladine came up just behind her with 11 points, securing a career-high three buckets from behind the arc. Stines matched her exactly in both categories, putting up 11 total points and three three-pointers of her own. Noble led both teams with nine rebounds.
At this point, the Huskies have recorded their most wins (both overall and in conference) since the 2016-17 season as the Pac-12 Tournament closely approaches.
The first round will be on Wednesday, March 1 in Las Vegas. The Huskies grab the eighth seed as the first round of the end-of-year Pac-12 Tournament approaches, where they will face Oregon for the third time this year.
