The Washington Huskies set a program record for points in a single quarter in the opening frame with 35, jumping out to a 35-8 lead against Cal State Bakersfield on Thursday night.
That number edged out the 2023 squad, who scored 34 points in the second quarter against North Carolina Central just over three years ago.
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The Huskies didn’t let up, stretching the eventual difference to 34 in an 85-51 win over the Roadrunners in Alaska Airlines Arena. They did so despite star guard Sayvia Sellers attempting only one shot in her 100th career game on Montlake, which came on an and-one layup with 3:53 remaining in the second quarter. Sellers finished with 5 points after converting that and-one and then sinking a pair of free throws in the second half, but led the team with 5 assists.
“She just has great court vision, and she’s always had that, but this year, I feel like she’s worked on it in the offseason,” guard Devin Coppinger said of Sellers after the game. “She sees the court beautifully and hits her posts, hits people in the corner, and so just (at all) three levels makes great decisions, and it’s a blessing to have her on the court.”
Tina Langley’s squad started 11-of-11 from the field, including 5 threes, before guard Devin Coppinger missed a three with 2:35 remaining in the first quarter. That wound up being Washington’s only miss from the field in the frame, although the Huskies also did miss one free throw late in the quarter. 15 of their 35 points came off Cal State Bakersfield turnovers.
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“I liked how we began the game. We knew who they were and what could give us success,” Langley told the media after the game. “You can see this team starting to connect; you can see them starting to come together. And there’s some really beautiful moments of basketball tonight, and we’re excited to expand on that.”
After a Tilda Trygger three to open the second half, Cal State Bakersfield went on a 7-0 run in one of the only brief stretches where the Huskies did not look completely in control. Washington retook the reins from there on out, however, outscoring the Roadrunners 32-22 over the course of the rest of the game despite heavy bench minutes from the Huskies.
All told, all ten Washington players available played at least 12 minutes and scored at least 3 points. Seven Huskies recorded an assist, eight recorded a rebound, seven recorded a steal, and five recorded a block. Only guard Macey Huard finished with a negative plus/minus at -2, with Howell leading at +38.
For second-year forward Daniella McLean and third-year (but first in the United States) guard Petra Toman, it was their first extended action on Montlake. First-year guard Amayah “Sunshine” Garcia, a four-star recruit who has earned regular rotation minutes, also saw 21 minutes, mostly with the bench unit.
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“They’ve been tremendous. I mean, all of them can make an impact in a game,” Langley said of her three most inexperienced players. “It was neat to have them on the floor together. Normally, you sub in where you have some of your starters with some of your substitutions at times, and at times we were able to put them all in, which I think is pretty neat, because they’ve all worked so hard; they understand the system. It was neat to see them compete, but each of them brings something really special to the team. They all have skills that can help this team be better, and I love seeing them be able to do that today.”
Washington looks like they will continue to need them to make impacts, as Kentucky transfer Kaelyn Carroll was on the bench but did not dress and was seen with a cast on her left wrist. Second-year forward Nina Cain was also not on the bench for the third consecutive game. Langley told the media after the game that both were dealing with medical issues but did not offer any further comment. The two injuries limit the Huskies to only ten available players after entering the season with only 12 on the roster following an unsuccessful waiver request for big Yulia Grabovskaia, who has been with the team in an unofficial capacity, assisting with warmups this season.
The Huskies travel to Pullman for their first road test against Washington State on Tuesday, then return home to face Stanford on Friday at 7:00 p.m. in Alaska Airlines Arena.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington women’s basketball rides program record to 85-51 win
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
