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Washington Losing Streak Ends at Three

The losing streak ended at three for the Washington Huskies as they returned home Thursday evening to rout the Cal Golden Bears, 109-77.

Washington trailed just once to the Bears, 2-0, before tying the score with an Aziz N’Diaye jumper.

Defense started it all for the Huskies, who combined for a team-high 11 blocked shots and four steals. The key to this runaway victory was all on the defensive side of the ball for Washington, which won its first game since dropping three straight last week to Washington State, Oregon State and Oregon.

Isaiah Thomas, who struggled with turnovers last week, had just two on Thursday night. The junior guard produced an another memorable night, adding 23 points for Washington, including a career-high six 3-pointers, nine assists, and four rebounds.  Matthew Bryan-Amaning did his share of work in the paint for the Huskies, scoring 18 points and lending completeness to the high-low game for Washington in tandem with Thomas.

After missing their first four shots in the game, the Huskies settled down in front of a rowdy crowd at Alaska Airlines Arena making seven of their next eight baskets. After falling out of the top 25 and first place in the Pac-10, a team who was struggling to break the zone answered the call Thursday evening with six Huskies scoring in double figures and finding a way to build on what was a 24-point lead at the half.

Washington quieted many skeptics Thursday night, playing with fire and pride for its home fans. The Dawgs pushed the pace, displayed excellent ball movement around the Cal zone, and did an excellent job of creating offensive opportunities by driving in the lanes and breaking down the zone with high-low play.

Lorenzo Romar’s Huskies, who shot just upwards of 30 percent during their losing skid, put together an offensive performance consisting of 56.6 percent shooting from the field and 54.8 percent behind the arc. The Huskies stepped on the throttle against Cal, going on several offensive runs beginning with a 10-2 burst that put Washington up by 13, 21-8, with 13:33 remaining in the first half.

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The Bears, who generally put up a fight against the Huskies, struggled from long distance, hitting just 28.6 percent behind the arc. Jorge Gutierrez led California with 24 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Cal simply couldn’t put together a stop to halt the Huskies' surging offense.

The Bears will head over the mountains to take on the Washington State Cougars this Saturday, and the Huskies look to remain undefeated at home as they face Stanford on the same day.

By Ganelle Swehla
DFN Sports Staff Writer