Husky men pull away to beat Omaha, 86-73

Published 1:30 am Sunday, December 3, 2017

SEATTLE — David Crisp scored 24 points and Noah Dickerson added 16 and Washington used a late 18-2 run to pull away from Omaha 86-73 on Sunday.

Omaha (1-8) took a 63-62 lead on Mitch Hahn’s deep 3-pointer from the top with 8:21 left, but Matisse Thybulle answered with three free throws and a layin to trigger the Huskies’ deciding spurt.

Zach Jackson had 28 points and Mitch Hahn added 15 points and a game-high 10 rebounds for Omaha (1-8).

Jaylen Nowell added 16 points and Thybulle 12 for Washington (6-2), which shot 58 percent from the floor in the second half.

After Hahn’s 3-pointer gave Omaha the lead, the Huskies answered with an 8-0 spurt as the Mavericks missed a pair of 3-point attempts and then turned it over twice.

Thybulle triggered the run when he was fouled on a three-point attempt and hit all three free throws. On the ensuing possession, Thybulle converted his own block into a layup at the other end. Crisp capped the run with two free throws to make it 70-63 with 6:09 remaining.

After KJ Robinson scored on a floater from the lane, the Huskies ran off 10 more consecutive points, extending the lead to 80-65 on a rebound basket by Sam Timmins with 2:49 left.

Washington extended its 42-39 halftime lead with an 8-2 run, going in front 50-41 on Crisp’s layin, but the Mavericks rallied within 52-49 on a jumper by Lamar Wofford-Humphrey.

Hahn’s 3-pointer gave Omaha its first lead of the second half at 58-57 with 10:11 remaining.

The Mavericks stayed close in the first half behind Jackson’s 17 points, which included three 3-pointers. Omaha also held a 25-16 rebound advantage over the Huskies, who had outrebounded their last two opponents by 17 per game.

Washington opened a 39-34 lead on Hameir Wright’s 3-pointer with 2:12 left in the half, but Jackson brought the Mavericks even with a 3-pointer and layin. Nahziah Carter’s 3-pointer put the Huskies up at the break.

BIG PICTURE

Washington: It’s mid-term exam time for the Huskies. Washington is 6-0 against mid-majors, but lost its only two games against power conference opponents — Providence 77-70 and Virginia Tech 103-79. Upcoming games at No. 2 Kansas and home against No. 15 Gonzaga should show where the Huskies are under first-year coach Mike Hopkins.