University of Washington
Washington State
Dawgs Respond, Rout WSU, 83-43
February 22, 2015 | Women's Basketball
PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington bounced back, avenging Friday's loss to blow out Washington State, 83-43. In the process, the Dawgs (20-8, 9-7) picked up the 20th win of the season, making it four-straight years reaching that milestone.
The Huskies also clinched at least a .500 record in the Pac-12 season with two games to play. That combined with the 11-1 non-conference and strong RPI has the Dawgs poised to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007.
Washington head coach Mike Neighbors was less than pleased with the Dawgs effort against WSU in Seattle, but that was not a problem on Sunday. The Huskies were the aggressor from the opening tip, overwhelming the Cougars with effort and execution.
The increased intensity out of the gates started with Talia Walton who returned to the starting lineup. Walton, who missed last Sunday's game against Colorado and came off the bench on Friday, was still not 100 percent, but it did not affect her shooting touch. She drained three early 3-pointers and had 11 of the Dawgs first 13 points to stake the Huskies to an early lead.
Walton would finish with 22 points on 9-13 shooting, leading four Dawgs in double figures.
Walton's early shooting touch seemed to rub off on Kelsey Plum, who picked things up from her teammate, also making three from downtown early on to push the Dawgs lead to double digits. Plum would also finish with 22 on 8-16 shooting, while also pulling down eight rebounds.
The Husky lead would be as many as 19 in the first half as they shot 48 percent as a team, including 7-12 from 3-point range. At the break, the Dawgs led 41-26, but that was only the start of things.
The Cougars would make an early run in the half to cut the lead to 11 at 45-34. From there, the Dawgs would run away with it. At one point, Washington held the Cougars without a basket for over nine minutes, while finishing the game on a 29-5 run.
In addition to 22 from Walton and Plum, Jazmine Davis added 16 points, while Aminah Williams had 10. The Dawgs also won the battle on the glass, 43-37. Chantel Osahor led the Huskies with 10 rebounds, while Plum had eight and Williams six.
The Dawgs held Washington State to just 23.7 percent shooting, the best of the season for the Huskies. The 43 points scores by the Cougars was also the lowest total allowed by Washington.
The Huskies finished by shooting 51.7 percent, including 11-22 from 3-point range. The Dawgs also had 16 assists to just four for the Cougars. Davis led the Huskies with four assists, while Osahor and Plum had three apiece.
The Dawgs will return home for the final weekend of the Pac-12 season to face USC and UCLA. The two Southern California teams are the only squads left that could catch Washington for fifth place in the conference. The Trojans will come to town Thursday, Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. and the Bruins Saturday, Feb. 28 at 1 p.m. Both games will be broadcast live on the Pac-12 Networks.
