The Washington Huskies (14-15, 6-12 in conference) hosted the USC Trojans (18-11, 7-11 in conference) for their final home game of the season on Wednesday. The Huskies were out to prove that the team that lost 90-73 against Wisconsin on Saturday was not who they were. To fix what went wrong in their previous game, Washington was looking to minimize the turnovers. The Huskies gave the ball away nine times, and the Badgers scored 15 points off turnovers. Washington was looking to get more players involved on the offense end of the floor Hannes Steinbach and Zoom Diallo were the only players to score in double figures in the loss. Another key for the Huskies was getting off to a fast start and playing with more energy to avoid a big early deficit.
USC came into Wednesday’s game on a five-game losing streak. The Trojans’ woes gave the Huskies a prime opportunity to earn a season sweep. Washington beat USC 84-76 in LA back in December, overcoming an 18-point halftime deficit. The challenge for Washington on Wednesday would be replicating the success it had in December, playing with just seven scholarship players. In the previous win over the Trojans the Huskies had limited turnovers and received scoring contributions throughout the lineup, and big contributions from Steinbach and Diallo.
Washington turns in an uneven first-half
The Huskies faced familiar struggles early in Wednesday’s game. Committing eight turnovers and posting just three assists in the first 13 minutes of the contest. Washington fought through its turnover woes thanks to more great play from Steinbach and Diallo. Steinbach had 11 points, and Diallo chipped in six, keeping the Huskies in the game. However, their efforts were not enough to overcome the Huskies’ early turnover problems. The Trojans built a 32 to 23 lead at the 7:13 mark and were led by a trio of scorers. Elijah Arenas did the bulk of the scoring for USC with 11 points. While Jordan Marsh poured in nine, and Jacob Cofie added another eight.
Huskies trim the Trojans’ lead before halftime
In the final seven minutes of the first half, Washington did a better job of taking care of the ball. The Huskies committed just one turnover in the last stretch of the half. Diallo led the way for Washington, scoring seven of his 13 first-half points in the half’s final minutes. Quimari Peterson joined the cause, adding five points of his own. Steinbach chipped in another four (he finished the half with 15), and Wesley Yates got in the scoresheet with three. Arenas and Marsh continued to keep the Trojans in the lead, combining for eight points (Arenas finished the half with 13 and Marsh had 11). Ezra Ausar also dropped in three as the Trojans stayed just ahead of Washington. Despite outscoring USC by six in the last minutes of the half, the Huskies trailed the Trojans 43-40 at halftime.
Washington pulls ahead by flipping the turnover battle in the second half
In the first half, Washington was outscored eight to four in points off turnovers. After halftime, the Huskies came out sharper in the second half than they did in the first. Committing just two turnovers in the first 14 minutes of the second half. Danny Sprinkle spoke after the game about how his team did a better job of taking care of the ball:
“You know, like all the turnovers in the first half was just trying to be a hero. Like just trying to do too much, you know, trying to drive into traffic or making a sloppy pass, like, you know, and that’s the stuff that we got to continue to correct. You know, like, you know, to win on Saturday, we can’t play like that. Like you have to be, you have to get shots at the rim. You know, like we did in the second half. We had two turnovers, 50 points”, said Sprinkle.
Washington forced six USC turnovers and scored 9 points, while the Trojans had none. Diallo led the scoring for the Huskies with 11 points. Peterson added another eight, Yates and Steinbach each had seven, as Washington overpowered USC to take a 72-61 lead.
The Huskies’ underclassmen ensure the seniors go on top in a stat-stuffer victory
Washington’s three seniors (Franck Kepnang, Quimari Peterson, and Jacob Ognacevic) participated in the traditional senior night pregame walk. Peterson was the only senior to play in the game and knocked down two crucial three pointers and finished his final game at Alaska Airlines with 13 points.
FUTURE IS BRIGHT FOR WASHINGTON
In the closing minutes of the contest, Diallo, the Huskies’ sophomore guard, threw down a dunk to cap the highest scoring game of his career. Finishing with a team-high 26 points while also pulling down nine rebounds. Freshman Courtland Muldrew flashed to the basket for three layups and added a pair of free throws. Then freshmen Nikola Dzepina and B.J. Roy got in on the act, bringing the house down with a couple of three-pointers as Washington rolled to a 91-72 win.
Steinbach quietly has a historic performance
Though he did not walk on senior night, there is a possibility that Steinbach Huskies’ star freshman, could leave for the NBA when the year is done. If this was his final game at Alaska Airlines Arena, he saved his best for last. On a night where fast breaks and points off turnovers were the theme of the game, Steinbach did what he always does. Rebound. The German National grabbed 24 rebounds, tying a Big Ten record for most rebounds in a game in 30 years. Steinbach also put up 22 points, tallying just the second 20-20 performance in school history. After the game, he talked to the media about his historic night:
“Like in the first half, like, somebody wrote on the board I had 13 (rebounds) because we always track our rebounds as a team, like numbers we have to achieve. So at the first half I felt I got 8, or 9, but it was 13. But then the second half, I felt the farther I got, I think I got a lot of offensive rebounds in the second half, so I noticed that yeah”, said Steinbach.
Steinbach could feel he was having a special night and worked hard in the second half to get to 24 total rebounds. Coach Sprinkle emphasized in his post-game presser how Steinbach was more aggressive in the second half:
“I told him (Steinbach), I said, we need the Hannes of the second half of USC down there for 40 minutes, and he did that. He was absolutely tremendous. He dominated the glass, dominated the paint, it just opened up everything”, said Sprinkle.
The freshman phenom had seven offensive rebounds and helped get the ball out to his teammates. Though Steinbach had just seven second-half points, his rebounds gave the Huskies more second-chance opportunities. Washington scored 12 second-chance points in the final 20 minutes of the game. Tallying four more points than they had off extra looks at the basket in the first half. Steinbach’s second-half helped open up the Huskies offense and powered them to victory.
What’s next for Washington
The Huskies’ win over the Trojans gave them a boost in the Big Ten standings. Washington is now (15-15 and 7-12 in conference) and is in a three-way tie for 11th place with USC and Minnesota. The Huskies own the tie-breaker with each of those schools. With a win on Saturday against the Oregon Ducks (11-19, 3-15 in conference) in Eugene, Oregon, the Huskies can lock up the 11th seed in the Big Ten tournament.
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