By Andrew Bailie Posted on

Washington men snaps losing streak with a 69-57 win over Minnesota

The Washington Huskies (12-13, 4-10 in conference) hosted the Minnesota Golden Gophers (11-13, 4-9 in conference) at Alaska Airlines Arena on Saturday. The Huskies were looking to play with more energy after a 63-60 loss to a last-place Penn State on Wednesday. That defeat was a true low point for Washington, dropping them to below .500 for the first time all season. The Huskies’ injury woes did not help. J.J. Mandaquit and Jasir Rencher had season-ending medical procedures the same day as the Dawgs’ game against the Nittany Lions. The mental and physical toll of dealing with those injuries clearly showed in a shocking loss for Washington.

The Huskies had to deal with more injury trouble on Saturday against the Golden Gophers. Forward Bryson Tucker suffered a thumb injury before the game, thinning Washington’s depth further. The Huskies’ leaders were tasked with carrying a heavy load. Zoom Diallo, the Dawgs’ leader in assists and second-leading scorer, had to step up following an unusually poor performance in Wednesday’s game. Diallo was 3/15 from the field, scored just eight points, had three assists, and five turnovers against Penn State. The Huskies also wanted Hannes Steinbach to continue his superb play. He came into Saturday’s game with six double-doubles in his last seven games, including one against the Nittany Lions on Wednesday. Behind more great play from Steinbach, a better performance from Diallo, and newfound energy, the Huskies ended their three-game losing streak.

Washington takes control of the game late in the first half after a tight battle early on

Both teams were locked in a closely fought contest through the first 16 minutes of action. Diallo and Steinbach got the Huskies going, leading the team with seven points each. Minnesota countered with 12 points from Cade Tyson and six points from Bobby Durkin. Trailing by one point with four minutes left in the half, the Huskies took the lead behind superb defense and transition offense. Wesley Yates and Courtland Muldrew brought the energy for the Huskies at both ends of the floor, changing the momentum of the game:

“I can point to Courtland Muldrew, you know, I mean, he changed the whole game. You know, I think it was 26-25, we were down. We went on a 14-0 run when we subbed him in with about five minutes left in the first half. His steals, you know, just his energy was contagious. He made a big shot. And it just fueled our team. And, you know, I thought Wesley was really good defensively. Offensively, he probably doesn’t think he played well because he didn’t score the ball, but I thought he played tremendous, you know, like getting four steals, you know, matching up, you know, guarding some guys and keeping them in front”, said Sprinkle.

Muldrew sparked a 14-0 run with a step-back jumper to put Washington up 27-26. Yates then had two steals, which led to fastbreak layups from Steinbach and Franck Kepnang. Muldrew then blocked a shot and scored at the other end on a transition layup. Yates later added a pair of free throws, then Kepnang and Steinbach added two more layups, as Washington’s defense continued to shut out Minnesota. The Huskies’ energetic finish to the half was the turning point of the game, as they led 39-26 at halftime.

Washington maintains its lead over Minnesota in the second half

The Huskies stayed in front with more scoring from Steinbach. In the first 10 minutes of the second half, he had seven of Washington’s 14 points. Quimari Peterson scored all five of his points for the game in that span, while Diallo chipped in two. Minnesota had a balanced offensive attack from four players, but still struggled to chip into Washington’s lead. Isaac Asuma had six points, Durkin scored five, Langston Reynolds had four, and Tyson added two. Halfway through the second half, the Huskies led the Golden Gophers 53-42.

The Huskies’ dynamic duo finishes off Minnesota

Diallo and Steinbach made sure to keep Washington ahead of the Golden Gophers in the game’s final minutes. Scoring each of the Huskies’ last 16 points for the game, with eight points apiece, as Washington defeated Minnesota 69-57. After the game, both Diallo and Steinbach spoke to the media about their performances:

“I watched that (Penn State) game twice when I went home, just trying to just see like, you know, where I messed up on, you know, just, you know, not helping the team. You know, I feel a little bit of guilt, but you know, one thing I learned about college, you got to move on. You got to, you know, find your mistakes and get on your lessons, and, you know, move to the next game. And I feel like I just applied what I didn’t do last game and kind of applied it to this game”, said Diallo.

“They’re like not the biggest team, so we just, like, used our advantage inside. And Zoom found me, had a couple good passes, and I got, yeah, other guys too. Quimari got really, one really good pass, I mean on a fast break, so just, like, I think we moved the ball pretty well today, and just like using the advantage inside”, said Steinbach.

Diallo learned from the mistakes he made in his previous game against Penn State. He bounced back versus Minnesota, going 7/8 from the field, had 17 points, and four assists. Steinbach effectively used his size to dominate inside against the Golden Gophers. Finishing with 26 points and nine rebounds, and just one rebound shy of another double-double.

What’s next for Washington

Following Saturday’s win, the Huskies are (13-13 and 5-10 in conference), sitting in 12th place in the Big Ten conference. They have a week off before beginning an East Coast road trip. Washington will face the Maryland Terrapins (10-14, 4-10 in conference) in College Park, Md., on February 21st.

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