Huskies Hang Tough, Ultimately Fall To No. 9 Arizona

Monday, January 3

Tucson, AZ

5:00 PM

University of Washington

5-6,0-1Pac-12

Arizona

12-1,2-0Pac-12

Washington

Arizona

January 03, 2022 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

TUCSON, Ariz. -- In its Pac-12 opener, Washington put forth a determined effort on the road, but would ultimately fall to No. 9 Arizona by a score of 95-79.

The Huskies came out of the gates strong, with a pair of early three-pointers by Jamal Bey and Emmitt Matthews Jr. giving them a 6-5 advantage. However, the Wildcats showed why they are one of the top offensive teams in the nation and would make their first six shots from the field to jump out to a 22-10 advantage just over five minutes into the game.

Emmitt wanted one of his own to match ??

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— Washington Men's Basketball (@UW_MBB) January 4, 2022

Thanks to another stellar effort from Terrell Brown Jr., UW was able to weather the run and stay in the game. Brown's 19 points at halftime helped the Huskies keep the deficit to single digits at 49-41 at the half.

In the second half, UW kept up the defensive pressure and continued to make shots to keep pace with Arizona. After forcing 10 Wildcat turnovers in the first half, the Huskies forced 11 in the second half.

At the heart of the defense was Brown (four steals) and Daejon Davis (three steals). They each finished with 5 steals, while the team finished with 18 in the game. Those 18 steals were the most in a season by UW, surpassing the previous high of 12 set in the season opener against Northern Illinois. It was also the fifth game this season that the Huskies forced their opponent to commit at least 20 turnovers, with Monday's 21 tying a season-high.

OKAY, DAEJON

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— Washington Men's Basketball (@UW_MBB) January 4, 2022

With under eight minutes remaining, Emmitt Matthews Jr. hit a three to cut the Wildcat lead to just five points at 72-67. That would be as close as UW would get, though, as Arizona would end the game on a 23-12 run.

Terrell Brown Jr. finished the game with 28 points, eight rebounds, six assists (to just one turnover) and five steals . He now has 1.496 career points and is 4 shy of 1,500 for his career.

Emmitt Matthews Jr. (16 points) and PJ Fuller (11 points) joined Brown in double figures.

Washington is back in action on Thursday when it visits Utah in Salt Lake City. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. PT on the Pac-12 Networks.