University of Washington
Hartford
Dawgs Beat Hartford In Cancun, 81-70
November 28, 2014 | Women's Basketball
Box Score
CANCUN, Mexico – Washington made it two wins in two days, defeating Hartford, 81-70. The Dawgs led by 17 at the half, but Hartford made a late comeback attempt. In the end the, the Huskies backcourt duo of Jazmine Davis and Kelsey Plum was too much, combining for 55 points in the victory.
The Dawgs improved to 4-1, winning their fourth straight. Davis continued her great tournament with 25 points and six assists, while Plum scored 30, making key free throws down the stretch.
Aminah Williams added a game-high 13 rebounds, while Talia Walton chipped in 11 points and eight boards. The Dawgs won the rebounding margin, 38-36, while also shooting 38-59 (47.5 percent). Washington held Hartford to just 25-67 (37.3 percent) shooting and forced 14 turnovers.
Hartford hung around early on, leading 20-19 with 8:35 to play in the half. The Dawgs then caught fire reeling off a 26-8 run to end the half. Washington stepped it up on the defensive end, getting stops to lead to transition opportunities. Davis and Plum took turns leading the break, finding open shots and dishing to teammates.
Both Davis and Plum finished the half with 16 points as the dynamic backcourt duo combined to shoot 13-23 and 5-10 from 3-point range.
After the break, Hartford scratched and clawed their way back into the game, shooting the ball much better from the perimeter. The Hawks pulled within nine with 13:44 left to play, but UW responded as a Plum layup put the lead back to double-digits.
Hartford did not get the lead back under 10 until the 3:02 mark, but again the Dawgs made that short lived as Plum made two of her 10 free throws. She finished 10-11 from the line, giving the Dawgs a huge weapon down the stretch of games. Plum is now 54-60 (90 percent) from the foul line on the season.
Finally, the Hawks were able to keep the lead under 10 in the final two minutes as the Dawgs missed a pair of 3-pointers that would have iced the game. Hartford pulled within five three separate times, but a Davis drive to set up a Williams layup and then two sets of free throws from Plum never let the Hawks get any closer.
The Dawgs went 8-8 from the free throw line over the last 36 seconds as Walton and Williams joined Plum by knocking down a pair. The late free throws also pushed the Dawgs over 80 points for the fifth-straight game.
The 11-point win puts Washington in position to win the Cancun Challenge with a win over Furman on Saturday. The Dawgs will go for the title against the Paladins as the only team still with a chance to finish 3-0. Tip is set for 10:00 a.m., PT, as the Dawgs look to bring a trophy back across the border.
