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Washington Huskies @ Seattle Redhawks Basketball Recap

Washington 95, Seattle University 74

The Washington Huskies were disappointed that they won't win the 2011 Pac-10 regular-season championship. They didn't allow that fact to weigh them down Tuesday night in an all-Seattle showdown.

In a battle of schools from the same city, Washington used its length, size and athleticism to wear down the Seattle University Redhawks at Key Arena. A slow first half gave way to an imposing second-half performance, as Washington bounced back from one of its more painful losses of the season.

Normally, a Pac-10 team plays games on Thursday and Saturday, so after falling at Arizona this past weekend in a game that had Pac-10 title implications, Washington showed the effects of both physical and mental fatigue. While this game meant everything to Seattle University and head coach Cameron Dollar, a former assistant to UW head coach Lorenzo Romar, Washington was just trying to get through this game and then rest up for Sunday's upcoming clash with Washington State. This game was a mismatch on paper, but for the first 20 minutes, Seattle played Washington on nearly even terms.

The first half was marked by Seattle U's ability to change the pace and contain Washington with a three-guard lineup. Washington usually outflanks opponents with its backcourt duo of Venoy Overton and Isiah Thomas, but in the first half, Seattle's guards were able to play with the Huskies on even terms. The Redhawks used inspired performances from Cervante Burrell (26 points for the game) and Sterling Carter (20 points) to limit UW's lead to single digits. Seattle slowed the pace of play, blunted each of UW's runs, and generally showed that it believed it could win. The Redhawks' defense, which recorded 13 steals on the evening, was able to get stops whenever UW hoped to extend its lead. As a result, Washington went to the locker room with a modest 37-29 advantage. Last year, UW scored the first 18 points of the game, but this year's contest between the two schools was decidedly different. At the intermission, Seattle trailed by multiple possessions, but it still had an outside chance of winning.

It was only in the second half when that dream of an SU upset finally died.

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After the break, Seattle displayed the same unwelcome habit that has affected the Redhawks all season long. SU, to Dollar's eternal frustration, has not been able to start second halves with strong offensive performances or the crispness a coaching staff hopes for. Seattle lacked fluidity against its Pac-10 opponent, and the Huskies made the Redhawks pay.

Washington kept Seattle under wraps in the first few minutes of the second half on Tuesday. The Huskies used a burst of energy to put together the game's most decisive sequence. Washington allowed just three points to SU in the first five minutes and 40 seconds of the second half; with only 14:20 left in the game, Washington had turned that 37-29 halftime lead into a commanding 51-32 advantage, and that was pretty much the story. Seattle U began to play well near the middle of the second half, but UW was able to trade baskets and coast home to the win over the final 10 minutes of play. Washington pushed the ball more consistently after halftime, running after a combination of missed shots and turnovers from the Redhawks. Seattle's offense gained a measure of fluidity in the latter stages of regulation time, but the outcome had long been decided by then.

Matthew Bryan-Amaning scored 24 points and pulled down 13 rebounds for Washington, and teammate Aziz N'Diaye scored 15 points while grabbing 10 rebounds for UW. Seattle received 14 points from Aaron Broussard and an 11-point, 4-rebound effort from big man Alex Jones in the loss.

By David Savage
DFN Sports Staff Writer