SEATTLE — First, it was Cal State Northridge’s defense that prevented Ryan Appleby from putting on another long-range clinic. Later, it was a balky back that slowed the senior guard who had drained 17 three pointers in his first three games back from a thumb injury.
So with Appleby not able to provide an offensive spark, Justin Dentmon and Venoy Overton came off the bench to combine for 32 points and go 6-for-7 from 3-point range.
That, along with another typical game from Jon Brockman (21 points, 10 rebounds) was more than enough for Washington in an 80-66 victory over the Matadors Saturday afternoon.
“He couldn’t go in there and really do any damage, but some other guys stepped up and hit 3s and did a nice impersonation of him, so that was nice to see,” said Washington coach Lorenzo Romar.
And while Appleby, who came into the game averaging 19 points, attempted only one field goal in 14 minutes, plenty of 3-point opportunities were available for his teammates, especially Overton. The freshman guard scored a career-high 14 points, going 5-for-5 from the field and 4-for-4 on 3-point attempts.
“They were leaving me open,” Overton said. “After one shot I heard their coach say, ‘We’ll take that.’ It seemed like they were putting more pressure on App and the other guards, so they left me open and my shot was going tonight I guess.”
The Matadors probably felt like they could get away with leaving Overton open, seeing as he came into the game shooting 20 percent from long range.
“I’m a way better shooter than my numbers,” he said. “I know I can shoot the ball but I’ve just been having some terrible shots and picking my shot selection kind of bad. But I know I can shoot it. If I keep my confidence up I know I can stroke it.”
Appleby, meanwhile, was happy to play the role of decoy when he was on the floor. With the Matadors using a box-and-one defense to keep him from getting open shots, other players had scoring opportunities and converted. As a team, the Huskies shot 52.9 percent on 3-point attempts, their second-best total of the season.
“For us, it’s kind of like, ‘All right, we’ll play four-on-four then,’” Appleby said. “So really I was trying to stay out of the way and play the weak side and just reverse the ball when I could. When they’re going to do that, it makes it easier for everyone else to try to score. We’ve got good players. It’s not like our guys can’t make shots and can’t make plays, and they showed they can do it tonight. As long as we win the game, that’s fine. If they want to try to take me away and play four-on-four and we win the game, that’s all that matters.”
Dentmon, who recently lost his starting position, played Saturday like he wants back into the starting five. The junior guard made five of seven shots and finished with 18 points and five rebounds. He had a game-high 13 points at halftime as the Huskies built a 42-33 lead.
“I’m trying to get my spot back,” said Dentmon, who limped off the floor in the final minutes with leg cramps. “I’m playing hard and trying to play defense. That’s what (Romar) said I’ve got to focus on. Sometimes I get off track on defense and so I’ve just got to continue to focus and I should be back in there one of these days. I can’t just sit back and settle with this game. I’ve got to continue to play hard in practice and continue to show that I can be a defensive stopper.”
Washington’s nine-point halftime lead nearly vanished in the second half when Northridge opened the half on a 7-0 run. The Matadors never tied the score, but continued to hang around for a while before the Huskies eventually put the game away with a 22-9 run that turned a three-point nail-biter into a 16-point game with five minutes to play.
From there the Matadors were never able to get closer than 12 points. Still, despite a third straight win, Romar wasn’t completely happy with what he saw.
“I don’t think we made a big step today,” he said. “I don’t feel like we improved defensively. I thought there were times we did a really good job and forced them to turn the ball over and take bad shots, but I didn’t think it was where we can look back and say ‘Hey, we made another huge step.’ I don’t think that’s the case.”
Contact Herald Writer John Boyle at jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more on UW sports, check out the Huskies blog at heraldnet.com/huskiesblog
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