Published: Monday, November 30, 2009
UW women fall to Sac State, 74-71
The loss is the third against a Big Sky team since Tia Jackson took over as UW coach
SEATTLE — The final home game of the 2009 calendar year held metaphoric proportions for the University of Washington women’s basketball team.
Much like the prospects of head coach Tia Jackson’s coaching tenure, the Huskies were playing from behind Sunday afternoon.
It wasn’t a recipe for success.
Playing against a Big Sky Conference school that had won just one game this season, UW trailed for almost the entire game and eventually fell short, 74-71, to Sacramento State on Sunday.
The Huskies dropped to 2-3 on the season as they embark on a seven-game road trip, and the Jackson era hit yet another low point.
Afterward, she wasn’t thinking so much about herself as she was the UW players who came up short.
“I wanted it so, so bad for them,” said Jackson, who now has a 23-43 record in two-plus seasons at UW. “So this is a tough one to swallow.”
In the final game of the Husky Classic, the Huskies trailed for 38 minutes and 50 seconds of the 40-minute game, missing five consecutive 3-point attempts down the stretch. When Sara Mosiman’s open 3 from the wing bounced off as time expired, the small contingent of fans at Hec Edmondson Pavilion let out a collective gasp of frustration.
“Man, I wish I could just tip one of those (missed shots) in for them,” said Jackson, whose team had four backcourt turnovers during the game.
That the Huskies were in position to heave up the potential tying shot in the final seconds was a bit surprising, considering the difference in the two programs.
The Hornets (2-4) had been picked eighth in the nine-team Big Sky before losing their first three games of the season — two of them by more than 20 points. The Huskies were coming off their biggest win of the season, an 18-point route of Big Sky school Eastern Washington.
And yet Sacramento State was the team being chased for almost the entire game Sunday. The Hornets hit 11 of 28 shots from 3-point range, holding off the Huskies with big outside shots whenever things got tight.
UW had some early success pushing the ball in to post player Regina Rogers, who scored 10 of her 13 points in the first eight minutes of the game. Rogers hit baskets on UW’s first two possessions to give the Huskies a 4-3 lead two minutes into the game, but Sacramento State responded with a 9-0 run and never looked back.
The Huskies didn’t catch up until 8½ minutes into the second half, when Mosiman made a putback basket to put UW ahead 55-54.
But that advantage lasted just four seconds before Sacramento State took the lead for good. When the Hornets hit three consecutive outside shots from in front of the Sacramento State bench for eight unanswered points, the Huskies found themselves in a 71-61 deficit with 3:27 remaining in the game.
Only a pair of Kristi Kingma 3-pointers from the wing kept the Huskies in contention. Her second one, with 2:02 left in regulation, pulled the Huskies to within 73-69.
But the Huskies missed five 3-point shots, including three from Kingma, over the final 65 seconds to fall short
Kingma missed a 3 with four seconds left, then Mosiman got one final crack from the wing at the buzzer.
“It felt good,” Mosiman said of her shot. “It was a heartbreaker.”
The Huskies hit just 4 of 19 shots from 3-point range.
Jackson is now 2-3 against Big Sky schools as head coach of the Huskies. Prior to her arrival, UW had won 19 in a row against schools currently in that conference.
“I don’t even look at the conference,” said Jackson, whose team plays seven consecutive road games before returning to Hec Edmondson Pavilion on Jan. 7. “Right now, we are trying to send a message. We are trying to get after everyone with a relentless pursuit. It doesn’t matter: Big Sky, WAC, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-10. We want to go out and do us, and play Husky basketball the way it’s supposed to be played.”
Notes
For the second time in a two-week period, the Huskies found out they have lost a player for the season. Freshman guard Amanda Johnson went into surgery on Friday for what was believed to be a torn meniscus, but the procedure revealed more damage and required season-ending microfracture surgery. Two weeks ago, UW lost sophomore Lydia Young to a season-ending knee injury. ... UW’s Whitcomb made a 3-point shot in the first half, giving her 137 career 3s and moving her into fourth place in school history. ... The Huskies’ Mollie Williams played just 12 minutes because she was feeling ill during the second half. ... Lake Stevens High School graduate Karri Gallagher played five minutes for Sacramento State, scoring one point. ... In the opening game of Sunday’s Husky Classic, Eastern Washington beat Memphis 58-54. The Eagles (4-2) were coming off an 18-point loss to UW on Friday.
Much like the prospects of head coach Tia Jackson’s coaching tenure, the Huskies were playing from behind Sunday afternoon.
It wasn’t a recipe for success.
Playing against a Big Sky Conference school that had won just one game this season, UW trailed for almost the entire game and eventually fell short, 74-71, to Sacramento State on Sunday.
The Huskies dropped to 2-3 on the season as they embark on a seven-game road trip, and the Jackson era hit yet another low point.
Afterward, she wasn’t thinking so much about herself as she was the UW players who came up short.
“I wanted it so, so bad for them,” said Jackson, who now has a 23-43 record in two-plus seasons at UW. “So this is a tough one to swallow.”
In the final game of the Husky Classic, the Huskies trailed for 38 minutes and 50 seconds of the 40-minute game, missing five consecutive 3-point attempts down the stretch. When Sara Mosiman’s open 3 from the wing bounced off as time expired, the small contingent of fans at Hec Edmondson Pavilion let out a collective gasp of frustration.
“Man, I wish I could just tip one of those (missed shots) in for them,” said Jackson, whose team had four backcourt turnovers during the game.
That the Huskies were in position to heave up the potential tying shot in the final seconds was a bit surprising, considering the difference in the two programs.
The Hornets (2-4) had been picked eighth in the nine-team Big Sky before losing their first three games of the season — two of them by more than 20 points. The Huskies were coming off their biggest win of the season, an 18-point route of Big Sky school Eastern Washington.
And yet Sacramento State was the team being chased for almost the entire game Sunday. The Hornets hit 11 of 28 shots from 3-point range, holding off the Huskies with big outside shots whenever things got tight.
UW had some early success pushing the ball in to post player Regina Rogers, who scored 10 of her 13 points in the first eight minutes of the game. Rogers hit baskets on UW’s first two possessions to give the Huskies a 4-3 lead two minutes into the game, but Sacramento State responded with a 9-0 run and never looked back.
The Huskies didn’t catch up until 8½ minutes into the second half, when Mosiman made a putback basket to put UW ahead 55-54.
But that advantage lasted just four seconds before Sacramento State took the lead for good. When the Hornets hit three consecutive outside shots from in front of the Sacramento State bench for eight unanswered points, the Huskies found themselves in a 71-61 deficit with 3:27 remaining in the game.
Only a pair of Kristi Kingma 3-pointers from the wing kept the Huskies in contention. Her second one, with 2:02 left in regulation, pulled the Huskies to within 73-69.
But the Huskies missed five 3-point shots, including three from Kingma, over the final 65 seconds to fall short
Kingma missed a 3 with four seconds left, then Mosiman got one final crack from the wing at the buzzer.
“It felt good,” Mosiman said of her shot. “It was a heartbreaker.”
The Huskies hit just 4 of 19 shots from 3-point range.
Jackson is now 2-3 against Big Sky schools as head coach of the Huskies. Prior to her arrival, UW had won 19 in a row against schools currently in that conference.
“I don’t even look at the conference,” said Jackson, whose team plays seven consecutive road games before returning to Hec Edmondson Pavilion on Jan. 7. “Right now, we are trying to send a message. We are trying to get after everyone with a relentless pursuit. It doesn’t matter: Big Sky, WAC, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-10. We want to go out and do us, and play Husky basketball the way it’s supposed to be played.”
Notes
For the second time in a two-week period, the Huskies found out they have lost a player for the season. Freshman guard Amanda Johnson went into surgery on Friday for what was believed to be a torn meniscus, but the procedure revealed more damage and required season-ending microfracture surgery. Two weeks ago, UW lost sophomore Lydia Young to a season-ending knee injury. ... UW’s Whitcomb made a 3-point shot in the first half, giving her 137 career 3s and moving her into fourth place in school history. ... The Huskies’ Mollie Williams played just 12 minutes because she was feeling ill during the second half. ... Lake Stevens High School graduate Karri Gallagher played five minutes for Sacramento State, scoring one point. ... In the opening game of Sunday’s Husky Classic, Eastern Washington beat Memphis 58-54. The Eagles (4-2) were coming off an 18-point loss to UW on Friday.
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