| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2010 5:39 am |
||||||||||
 |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||
Sports 
|
||||||||||||||
Pondexter has some fun in Huskies' win over Portland State The senior forward scores a career-high 29 points in the Huskies' 111-55 win over Portland State on Sunday night. SEATTLE — Quincy Pondexter's career as a University of Washington basketball player got off to a slow start.The senior forward seems intent on finishing with a bang. The Huskies' lone senior followed up his impressive 25-point performance on Saturday night with the most productive game of his career, helping UW go unbeaten in the three-day Athletes of Action Classic by way of a 111-55 win over Portland State on Sunday night. Pondexter scored a career-high 29 points, 20 of which came in the first half. By the four-minute mark of the second half, Pondexter had already eclipsed his career-high of 25 points, which he had matched in Saturday's win over Belmont. He shot 11-of-12 for the night and added a game-high 13 rebounds despite sitting out the final 11 minutes of the game. “I wouldn't say this was my best game,” Pondexter said after the Huskies' most-lopsided victory in almost three years. “It was fun, though. A lot of fun.” A ballyhooed recruit out of Fresno, Calif., Pondexter didn't really come into his own until the end of his junior season. He led the Huskies in scoring during a pair of NCAA tournament games last spring, and the 6-foot-7 senior seems to have picked up where he left off. “I've been waiting for this since I set foot in Seattle and came to the University of Washington campus,” Pondexter said of being a senior leader. “You don't know what it takes until you go through it. ... Times like this are really fantastic.” While Pondexter and starting guard Isaiah Thomas (21 points) handled most of the scoring load Sunday night, it was the UW bench that provided the key spark. After UW transfer Phil Nelson showed off an array of moves — many of them coming against former classmate Pondexter — in leading Portland State to an early 15-12 lead, the Huskies turned to their reserves and got just the jolt they needed. Justin Holiday came off the bench for his most significant action since returning from a hernia injury and scored eight quick points during a 14-0 run midway through the first half. Holiday hit two 3-pointers and added an assist during the run, helping UW open up a 34-17 lead with 8:23 left in the first half. “He told us he'd be aggressive and let it fly,” teammate Venoy Overton said of Holiday. “We know he's going to play (defense). When he's hitting shots, it's a bonus.” Portland State's Nelson, a 6-foot-8 swingman who spent most of two seasons on the UW bench, looked like he might single-handedly pull off the upset early in Sunday's game. Nelson scored nine points over the first seven minutes of action to lead PSU to an early three-point lead. Only a strong effort from a substantially taller UW frontcourt helped the Huskies stick around, as Washington (3-0) outrebounded PSU 26-4 in the first half and 47-16 for the game. Holiday and the UW bench pulled the Huskies from their early depths, and then Pondexter made sure the Vikings (0-3) never got back in the game. He hit 8 of 9 field-goal attempts and all four free throws in the first half, scoring 20 points while leading UW to a 55-29 halftime lead. Pondexter said afterward that some comments he'd read from Nelson helped motivate him for this game. “Phil brought a little of it,” Pondexter said late Sunday night. “When players talk about a game being circled on their calendar and wanting to come out and punch you in the mouth, you've got to be ready.” PSU's Nelson, who played in 31 games at UW but transferred after the 2006-07 season due to a lack of playing time, had 13 of the Vikings' 29 first-half points, including an alley-oop dunk in the final minute. He did not score in the second half. During the first half, UW's top three guards — Thomas, Overton and freshman Abdul Gaddy — shot just 3 of 15 from the field. Pondexter and the rest of the Huskies were 19 of 23 during that span. With about 11 minutes left in the second half, both Thomas and Pondexter came off the floor and spent most of the rest of the evening watching UW's reserves finish the Vikings off. The Huskies showed throughout the three-day Athletes of Action Classic that past transfers and the loss of two graduated starters have not affected the team's success. In winning games against Wright State, Belmont and Portland State, UW showed off a deep bench and an improved Pondexter en route to a perfect 3-0 record. “We got better day in and day out,” Thomas said. “From the first day to the second day to the third day, we got better overall. ... Three games in three days is tough for a college team, but we got better overall.” Notes Portland State's lead assistant coach is Nate DuChesne, a Snohomish native and former head coach at Stanwood High School. ... Maryville-Pilchuck High School graduate Nate Lozeau is on Portland State's roster but is not eligible to play this season because of NCAA transfer rules. The junior played his first two seasons at the University of San Diego. ... UW walk-on Brendan Sherrer, a sophomore from Archbishop Murphy High School, got into Sunday's game with 1:38 remaining but missed his only shot attempt. ... UW freshman Tyreese Breshers did not play Sunday because of a finger injury he suffered the previous night. ... The all-tournament team for the round-robin event included UW's Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Wright State's Troy Tabler and Todd Brown, Belmont's Scott Sanders and Pondexter, who averaged 22.0 points and 11.0 rebounds on the way to co-MVP honors with Thomas. |
- Sorry, Hawkeye; M*A*S*H gets bowled over
- Former Whidbey student shot
- County archive software paid for but waiting for set-up
- Ruling expected on Sultan beating statement
- ‘Roadkill’ caucus seeks a voice for centrist Democrats
- Police seek witnesses in two accidents
- PAWS calls out for critter care-givers
- Boeing has a busy test schedule
- Ex-Boeing engineer jailed for espionage
- Morning mystery: What happened to House Bill 3181?
- Lynnwood sets height limit on grass: 8 inches
(10) - State Senate votes to toss I-960's tax-raising hurdle (9)
- School levies in Snohomish County all passing, Marysville bond failing (6)
- A tidy lawn could be law in Lynnwood (4)
- County archive software paid for but waiting for set-up (3)
- Vote on school levies by Tuesday (3)
- Two suspects sought in Everett shooting that injured two (3)
- Schools do well in levy elections (3)
- Lynnwood makes law against too tall lawns (3)
- North Sound Christian girls winning with just six players (2)
- Jackson girls outlast Meadowdale owdale
- OBT raises barre in children’s program
- Junior firefighters
- School levies passing
- Mavericks topple Wolfpack
- Get a second look at Second City Feb. 13
- Sports Briefs
- Warriors advance 11 to regional meet
- Arlington's Cascade Valley Hospital celebrates expansion, national award and 100 years of service
- Business Licences Feb. 2010
- Technology tips for launching your own business
- Business Events Feb. 2010
- Tech Talk: No excuse today for going without a Web site
- State already raising fees and rates that restrict business growth
- Some legislators again targeting people’s initiative petition rights
|
 
|
|
|
|
| TODAY'S TOP JOBS |
| View All Top Jobs |
| Top Cars |
|
| Top Homes |
|
|
ADVERTISEMENT |
|
|
|Contact Us
|Advertiser Services
|Home Delivery
|Newsstand Locations
|Classifieds
|Feedback
|About the Company
|Work@the Herald
|Site Map |
|
COMMENTS | Be the first to comment
Log in or register to post a new comment.
To read other terms and conditions, click here