Washington men’s basketball faced its first big test of the season, playing on the road at Baylor on Sunday . The Huskies had an opportunity to make a statement early in the season against a perennial tournament team. After two wins over Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Denver, they were looking to carry the momentum into this weekend’s matchup. The Huskies battled the Bears hard for two halves, but needed better shooting to come out on top.
Washington works the ball inside, while struggling from three early
Most of the Huskies’ scoring came in the paint early, as they scored 24 of their 32 points from inside the key in the first half. Quimari Peterson led the Huskies with six points, while Lathan Sommerville and Wesley Yates each had five. Baylor made three three-pointers in the first half and made seven free throws. Cameron Carr led the way with 13 points. The Huskies were unable to hit a three-pointer in the first half and were just 4/7 from the free-throw line. The Bears and Dawgs each shot 43.8% from the field, but Baylor’s free throws and threes made the difference. At halftime, the Huskies trailed the Bears 38-32.
Washington is unable to keep pace with Baylor in the second half
The Huskies continued to struggle from three-point range, shooting 3/13 from three in the second half. They did not make a three-point shot until just under 10 minutes remaining in the game. Overall, Washington shot just 38.9% from the field, as Zoom Diallo led the team in scoring with 13 second-half points. Baylor had a balanced scoring attack, led by Isaac Williams, who was 5/6 from the field with 11 points. The Bears shot 50% from the field and built a big enough lead to hold on for a 78-69 win, as Washington suffered its first loss.
Key Stats from the game
Despite losing the game, the Dawgs out-rebounded Baylor 42-33. Hannes Steinbach led Washington with 15 rebounds (he also had 10 points to record his second double-double). However, the Bears shot better than the Huskies did from three-point range. Baylor was 6/21, making 28.6% from deep, while the Dawgs were 3/20, shooting 15% from three. The Huskies also had fewer free-throw attempts and made fewer foul shots than the Bears. Washington made 10/15 from the line, while Baylor shot 20/29 from the charity stripe. Free throws and three-pointers were the difference in Sunday’s game. The Huskies will need to improve their shooting from beyond the arc and at the foul line when they play Washington State in Pullman on Friday.
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