Photo credit: AP Photo - Christine Cotter
Washington's stars and depth shined once again in the Huskies 74-63 win over UCLA.
The stars (Matthew Bryan-Amaning (above,left) and Isaiah Thomas) carried UW to most of the way. They combined for 24 of 36 points in the second half.
But it was Washington's depth that delivered the knockout punch. On Wednesday, reserve freshman Terrence Ross was the hero off the bench in the overtime win at USC. On Friday, Darnell Gant was Johnny on the spot. He didn't score 18 points the way Ross did, however, Gant nailed the biggest shot of the game, draining a back-breaking three-pointer that essentially stopped UCLA's late comeback attempt.
Again that's a testament of Washington's deep bench. When Aziz N'Diaye fouled out, coach Lorenzo Romar looked down his bench. He considered putting in junior Scott Suggs before yelling "Darnell get in there."
Gant's strength is spacing the floor, setting screens and perimeter shooting. He finished the game along with a three-guard lineup that included Abdul Gaddy, Venoy Overton, Thomas and Bryan-Amaning.
"He's been a starter for us," Romar said of Gant. "Aziz was in foul trouble. Matt was in foul trouble. Darnell defended and did a good job that way. Darnell is always steady. He can hit an open look. When he gets his feet set. That was a big shot."
This was an efficient win for Washington. The Huskies took the lead early in the first half and controlled the game until the end. They led by as many as 17 points (52-35) and weathered a comeback bid when UCLA closed to within four (63-59).
The Huskies demonstrated their maturity and their versatility. They played their 2-3 zone at times and by my unofficial count, UCLA scored just once on a putback attempt. Otherwise the zone was perfect on six defensive possessions.
After just one week, Washington has a commanding 2-0 lead in the Pac-10 because road wins are difficult to capture. The Huskies were so impressive this week, a media member asked if they could go 17-1 in the conference. The last time that happened was 2004. Stanford did it. The lone loss, 75-62 at Washington.
The Huskies will be favored in every league game this season and Washington has shown the mental maturity to win the games its supposed to win. The Huskies crushed inferior opponents at home and they haven't had a letdown this season.
If we're talking 17-1, then why not 18-0. It's never happened in the Pac-10. I'm not saying it will. I'm just saying it's a possibility.
MORE NOTES, QUOTES AND OBSERVATIONS:
Read more...NFL teams list College Basketball games College Football hall of fame Duke Basketball report
No comments:
Post a Comment