Pac-10 tournament—the view from the couch
Published 4:42 pm Thursday, March 12, 2009
Washington 85, Stanford 73, final
You know it’s a good ending for the Huskies when Artem Wallace, Joe Wolfinger and Scott Suggs are all on the floor at the same time, and that was the case for Washington at the end of today’s game.
As has often been the case for the Huskies this year, four players scored in double figures: Jon Brockman with 20, Isaiah Thomas with 14, Quincy Pondexter with 11 and Justin Dentmon with 10.
Thomas also added a career-high nine rebounds, Venoy Overton had seven, and Justin Dentmon had six, so it was a nice rebounding day for the guards.
The Huskies will now face Arizona State in the semifinals tomorrow at 6 p.m. Washington swept ASU this season, so expect the Sun Devils to come out tomorrow looking to make a statement.
OK, time to check out the Big East tournament while waiting for Cal and USC to start at 6.
Pondexter and Thomas getting it done in the second half
Both Quincy Pondexter and Isaiah Thomas were shut out in the first half, but both have 11 points here in the second half, and Washington leads 73-66 with 5:41 left in the game.
Oh good, more Pacific Life commercials.
Huskies up by nine
Lorenzo Romar is a little upset with an offensive foul that was just called on Quincy Pondexter, and the UW coach might have a good argument after seeing the replay. It’s now 63-54 with 10 minutes left, and while the Huskies are in good shape up nine, Stanford doesn’t look to be going away anytime soon.
Anthony Goods has 19 points to lead Stanford, while Landry Fields has 16. Jon Brockman has 16 for the Huskies.
Thomas heating up
After being shut out in the first half, Isaiah Thomas is getting it going early in the second half with seven quick point… Oh wait, make that nine now. And it’s 50-43 Washington with 16 minutes left in the game.
Pondexter is still 0-for the game, however, and I’m sure Lorenzo Romar would love to get him going at some point today. Jon Brockman leads the Huskies with 12 points, and is an impressive six for seven from the line (he made his first six before missing).
Landry Fields now has 16 points for the game.
UW 38, Stanford 35, halftime
A wild finish to the first half, as Elston Turner knocked down a three with about five seconds left, but Kenny Brown responded with a long, banked three at the buzzer to make it a three-point game.
Turner hit three three-pointers late in the half, tying him with Jon Brockman for team-high honors. Landry Fields has 13 points to lead Stanford.
Not surprisingly, the Huskies are out-rebounding the Cardinal 24-19, but Washington is shooting just 35.1 percent.
Tied at 27, 3:18 left in the half
Oh, and look, another Pacific Life commercial. Guess I should get used to that since Pacific Life is the title sponser of this tournament.
As I mentioned earlier, Landry Fields had a big game yesterday, and he’s got 11 points so far this half. Jon Brockman has nine to lead the Huskies, while Justin Dentmon has eight. A bit concerning for Washington is that Quincy Pondexter is 0 for 4 so far. He’s been solid the second half of this season, and is shooting well over 50 percent in Pac-10 play, so that’s not the start he or the Huskies have been used to.
Cold shooting early
Not a lot of offense in this game so far, as Washington is shooting 25 percent and Stanford is a little better at 30.8 percent. It’s 20-18 Stanford with 6:43 left in the half, but Jon Brockman is at the line with a chance to tie it after the commercial break.
And speaking of commercials, anyone else sick of the Pacific Life commercials yet? Me too.
MBA asserting himself early
Matthew Bryan-Amaning has struggled in the second half of the season, but he’s off to a nice start today with three poitns and a big block. It’s 12-10 Washington midway through the half.
Stanford has now missed nine straight field goals.
Sloppy start for the Huskies
It’s 8-3 Stanford after Washington took a 3-0 lead to start the game. Washington already has three turnovers, and Landry Fields has four points early. He had a big game in yesterday’s win over Oregon State, so if he gets hot early that could be trouble for the Huskies.
The good news for the Huskies is that those three points came on a Justin Dentmon three. He struggled against Stanford in both games this season, so a quick start for him could help.
pregame
Hello hoops fans. We’re getting close to Washington’s Pac-10 tournament opener against Stanford, and should the Huskies win that game, it looks like they’ll face Arizona State, which is enjoying a 10-point lead late in its game against Arizona. If that result holds, it’ll make me 1-2 so far in my predictions. Glad to know I have no idea what I’m talking about.
I’m not in L.A., so I’ll be watching on TV like the rest of you (that can get out of work on a Thursday afternoon anyway), and providing some thoughts on the game. The viewing party is at the home of a Kansas grad, so the mood is a little subdued here at the moment.
And for those looking for a little more pregame reading, here’s my column today looking at the effect Washington hoops has had on the area sports scene.
All for now. Time to enjoy some chips and dip before the game gets started.
