Washington basketball: 4 takeaways from 73-55 win over Western Kentucky

The 2018-19 Washington basketball season got off to a good start with a 73-55 win over Western Kentucky. Here are our takeaways from the game.

The Washington basketball season started for real last night. A 73-55 opening night victory was a great way to get the 2018-19 season underway. UW was led by Noah Dickerson and Jaylen Nowell who scored 18 and 17 points respectively.

Bottoming Out

Basketball is a game of ebbs and flows. Teams or players get hot or go cold for extended periods. The Huskies got out to a 27-19 lead with 5:39 remaining in the first half, on a Naziah Carter bucket. However, Western Kentucky decided they would not go quietly into the night, The Hilltoppers went on a 17-0 run, to end the half with 36-27 lead.

Resiliency

WKU’s big run could have demoralized the Huskies as they headed to the locker room. But Washington came out ready to play. They started the second half with a 15-0 run of their own. Guard Dave Crisp scored seven of his 13 points in less than two minutes points during the UW comeback.

At the 11:40 mark of the second half, and the score tied at 48 a piece, the Huskies made their second of three runs, this one 15-2, to take a lead they would never relinquish. Over the next seven minutes, Washington took a 63-50 lead. Although the Huskies had their lapses in the first half they had a great second half scoring 46 points to Western Kentucky’s 19.

Scrappy Defense

The Huskies showed throughout the game they have a scrappy defense and they showed it by more than taking balls away from WKU.  Defending PAC-12 defensive player of the year Matisse Thybulle showed he wants to own the title once again this season. He had six blocks and one steal, along with half-a-dozen rebounds.

Outside shooting

Crisp had a pair of treys (out of six attempts) to lead the way. The Huskies struggled with three-point shots all night, making only five of 25 attempts. Going forward, they will either need to do a better job from the outside or get the ball inside more often to their big men.

For the Huskies to win this Friday against 11th ranked Auburn on the road, they will need to improve offensive lulls like they did in the first half on Tuesday. Additionally, Washington will need to have a bigger presence inside as well a more accurate three point shooting.