The Washington Huskies beat the Eastern Washington Eagles 83-59 in front of the home crowd at Alaska Airlines Arena.
Heading into the game, the Huskies were coming off of a tough 68-66 loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Tonight was an opportunity to regroup and regain some momentum, with earning a victory and getting back in the win column.
Washington head coach Mike Hopkins started a brand new lineup tonight to switch up some things, and try a new look.
What ensued, was the best start out of the gate that the Huskies have had all season long, with an energetic team setting the tone.
The Huskies have had their constant shooting woes up until this point in the season, and tonight they finally broke out.
It seemed as if every shot they hoisted up went into the basket, and their three-point shooting was off the charts.
The night belonged to senior forward Dominic Green who was absolutely sensational shooting the ball from all over the floor.
“If you see your man turn their head you’ve got to relocate and I was just getting wide open shots,” Green said. “And they were all from the same spot for some reason. It was kind of weird. They did a great job finding”
He completely set the tone with making three-point shots every time he spotted up, and his teammates took notice too.
“Everybody knows what type of shooter he is. Today we just had more awareness,” Washington coach Mike Hopkins said. “The ball was popping, we had really good looks. Matisse (Thybulle) looked great. David looked great. The ball found the open man and unfortunately for them it was Dominic.”
Green finished the night with 25 points and 5 rebounds which was a new career high for him in the scoring column.
“I don’t ever think he’s going to miss,” David Crisp said of Green. “Him getting an open look is like a layup.”
What was encouraging was the fast start that the Huskies came out with, and finally played with a sense of urgency from the opening tipoff.
Slow starts have plagued them all season long, but tonight they were able to turn that around and impose their will early.
It was a total team effort by everyone involved and Hopkins was able to get some of the freshmen valuable playing time.
At halftime, the Huskies were leading Eastern Washington 35-25 with the Eagles still hanging around within striking distance.
When the second half started, the Huskies picked up right where they left off. Senior point guard David Crisp hit a layup on the first possession and they never looked back.
Senior forward Noah Dickerson sat the entire first half and did not play until the start of the second half, but provided a boost inside for the Huskies.
The Huskies zone defense and ability to make shots eventually wore down the Eagles, and the Huskies were able to break the game wide open down the stretch.
It was a great team win by the Huskies on a night where everyone seemed to be involved, and gave Hopkins some productive minutes.
“When the ball is moving it could be anybody’s night,” Crisp said. “You’ve got to stay unselfish. We have to make sure we’re playing good basketball, making the right plays; drive in, the guy helps in, kick out to the open man and it’s easy. You saw that tonight.”
Eastern Washington was led by senior forward Jesse Hunt who finished with 15 points and 3 rebounds for the game.
The win by the Huskies wasn’t perfect by any means, as they still struggled with turnovers notching a game high 17 on the night.
Also, the Huskies struggled from the free throw, shooting 15 for 27 from the line at 55.6% which they will have to improve quickly.
Some bright spots for the Huskies was their ability to make the extra pass to open shooters and record a game high 14 assists.
They also shot 51.9% from the field and 42.9% from behind the arc at 12 for 28 on the night. A much improved effort from what they had previously been shooting all season long.
“We made them tonight and it’s a different game. It’s a different game when you make shots like that,” Hopkins said referring to making three-pointers.
The Huskies should feel good about themselves, with breaking out of their shooting slump, and spreading the wealth tonight as a collective team.
The Huskies (5-2), return to the court later this week for a home game against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. The game will be played Sunday, December 2nd at 5:00pm PST at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle, Washington. It will mark the last home game for the Huskies, before they head on the road to face the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Washington vs. Eastern Washington Final Game Stats
