Hot-starting Huskies hold off furious Stanford rally to win 67-64
Washington poured in 43 first-half points and built up a 21-point lead at one point in the second half Saturday against Stanford.
The Huskies needed all of it, as the Cardinal made things incredibly nervous for the home side down the stretch. But Washington did just enough to leave with a 67-64 lead.
Washington (8-7, 3-2 Pac-12) missed its final nine shot attempts—a stretch that spanned the final 7:56 of the game—as Stanford (10-5, 3-2 Pac-12) outscored UW 39-24 in the second half. Over the game’s final 20 minutes, it only hit six of its 27 shot attempts.
But UW was able to get to the free throw line (9-of-15) and force eight Stanford turnovers. Terrell Brown Jr. also gave the Huskies just enough offense, with 15 of his game-high 25 in the second half.
It was a complete flip of the first-half script, when Washington exploded out of the gates.
The Huskies built a 22-9 lead and then went on a 15-2 run to blow the game open. They hit 15 of their 32 shots from the field and seven of 15 from 3-point range. Guard Jamal Bey went crazy from 3 and poured in 17 first-half points on 4-of-6 shooting from 3 (6-10 overall).
With 13 Stanford turnovers forced, the Huskies were also able to fluster the Cardinal at the other end of the court. Though Stanford dominated the glass for the game (47-26) any perceived advantage in the paint wasn’t all that impactful. Washington only gave up 10 first-half paint points, blocked four Stanford shots, and swiped five steals.
Stanford forward Brandon Angel powered the Cardinal in the second half with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting. He finished with a team-high 13 points. The climb back into the game was a total team effort. All 10 players who saw the floor for Stanford in the second half scored, and seven scored at least five points.
With the win, Washington climbed back over .500 on the season and in conference play. UW has won three of its last four games, and it’ll look to keep the momentum rolling when it travels to Oregon State next Thursday, Jan. 20, for an 8:30 p.m. PT tip.
For Stanford, its four-game win streak has been snapped and No. 6 Arizona looms. The Cardinal host the Cats next Thursday with tip-off set for 8 p.m. PT on ESPNU.