Huskies hit the hard part at 5-0
Reaching the 5-0 mark in conference play for the first time in 35 years seemed to bring a collective yawn from Washington. The Huskies appear well aware the real test is about to begin.
“The only thing I think our standing in the Pac-12 and our record so far in conference does is just we’re getting everyone’s best shot and it makes people want to beat us even more. That means we have to play even better,” Washington’s Matisse Thybulle said.
Dominic Green hit four three-pointers and scored 17 points off the bench, Thybulle added 13 points, and Washington improved to 5-0 in conference play for the first time since 1983-84 with a 71-52 win over California on Saturday.
Washington (14-4, 5-0 Pac-12) won its seventh straight, but this one won’t be an attractive addition to the season resume. The Huskies missed 13 of their first 14 shots and committed nine turnovers in the first half, trailing by as many as 11 against the Golden Bears. But the Huskies rallied to remain perfect in conference play and will have a chance to match the mark of the 1983-84 team which started its conference schedule 6-0.
But Washington has benefited from a favorable early schedule that’s about to get tougher. Four of Washington’s next six are on the road with trips to the Oregon and Arizona schools.
Washington’s win was its 1,000th all-time at Hec Edmundson Pavilion, becoming the first Division I team to reach 1,000 wins in one arena.
at Arizona 82, Oregon
State 71: Brandon Williams scored 20 points and the Wildcats dominated the offensive glass despite losing center Chase Jeter to a scary fall. The Wildcats went 13 for 27 from three-point range and snagged 21 offensive boards, leading to 28 second-chance points. “We collectively filled that void,” said forward Ryan Luther, who finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Coach Sean Miller said Jeter should be able to play this week.
at Arizona State 78, Oregon 64: Zylan Cheatham scored 17 points to lead five Sun Devils in double figures and a 19-0 second-half run helped snap an eight-game losing streak to the Ducks. Taeshon Cherry added 15 points for the Sun Devils on five-of-10 three-pointers.
Stanford 78, at Washington State 66: Daejon Davis scored 15 points and the Cardinal scored six unanswered points in the final 55 seconds to win without leading scorer KZ Okpala, who sat out because of back spasms.