After turning the ball over 14 times in their season-opening win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Washington Huskies head coach Danny Sprinkle was looking for an improved effort against Denver on Thursday night inside Alaska Airlines Arena. Another goal for the Huskies was to achieve efficient three-point shooting. The Dawgs made 10 of 25 three-point attempts for a 40% shooting percentage. Thursday night’s game with Denver provided a fantastic opportunity for the Huskies to prepare for Sundays game with Baylor in front of a National Television audience.
Washington dominates the paint early
Although the Huskies made only one of six three-point shots in the first half, they were effective scoring inside. Washington scored 30 of their 37 points in the paint and shot 52% overall from the field. Hannes Steinbach and Wesley Yates led the way with nine points each. The Huskies were lethal in stealing the ball from Denver, which led to easy transition baskets. Washington had seven steals and 12 fast-break points and took a 37-28 lead into the halftime break.
Washington heats up from three, rolls in second half
After struggling from behind the arc in the first half, the Huskies found their three-point shot early in the second half. Bryson Tucker connected on three straight three-pointers in less than three minutes. Quimari Peterson added two three-pointers, and J.J. Mandaquit had one as well. Washington made 6 of 14 shots from the three-point range in the second half. The Huskies ‘ three-point shooting percentage in the second half was 42.9% a marked improvement from the first half percentage of 16.7%. Danny Sprinkle spoke after the game about his team’s three-point shooting turnaround:
“I thought we were sharing the ball, making good one more passes. You know shooting is contagious. It’s just like energy. Like when somebody has great energy and passion, it’s contagious. Shooting’s the same thing. You know when somebody, when Bryson gets hot from the second half, everybody sees that ball going through the hole, and they just play with a little different spark, and then Quimari got going.”
Seeing their shots drop in from behind the arc built the Huskies’ shooting confidence in the second half. The confidence led to crisper passes that created open looks from the three-point line. The six second-half three-pointers made the difference, as Denver kept the game close. Quimari Peterson hit a big three-pointer towards the end of a 12-0 Huskies run after the Pioneers pulled within seven with 5:56 remaining. The 12-0 run propelled the Huskies to their second consecutive win to start the season.
Key Stats in Huskies’ win
Washington played a cleaner game on Thursday night, ending the night with just nine turnovers. Sprinkle said he wants his team to stay under 10 turnovers a game. Seven players scored in double figures, as Hannes Steinbach and Wesley Yates led the way with 13 points each. Zoom Diallo scored 12 points, Lathan Sommerville had 11 points, Quimari Peterson scored 11 points, Bryson Tucker had 11 points, and J.J. Mandaquit scored 11 points. Steinbach led the team in rebounds with 16, as he finished with a double-double. The Huskies also took advantage of the Pioneers’ turnovers, scoring 22 points off 13 Denver turnovers.
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