SEATTLE – That, ladies and gentlemen, is what Spencer Hawes can do.
Looking like a player in a whole different league from anyone else on the floor, Washington’s 7-foot freshman center answered any criticism garnered from a solid but unspectacular start to his career with a stunning performance on his biggest stage yet as a Husky.
Displaying an incredibly varied array of moves, ranging from hook shots to turnaround jump shots to jumpers near the 3-point line, the most heralded recruit in UW basketball history had his true coming out party against No. 12 LSU Wednesday.
Hawes had 23 points on 10-for-16 shooting and pulled down 12 rebounds for his first career double-double as the No. 17 Huskies rolled to an 88-72 victory over the Tigers in front of a sold-out crowd at Hec Edmundson Pavilion and a national TV audience.
The point and rebound total were career-highs for Hawes, who had not performed quite up to the expectations many held for the McDonald’s All-American from Seattle Prep High School. But against a big and experienced LSU team, Hawes showed what the hype was all about, confidently putting up shots from all angles and showing that he’s physical enough to play with one of the toughest teams in the country.
But he didn’t do it alone.
Sophomore power forward Jon Brockman of Snohomish nearly matched Hawes’ production, scoring 19 points and tying his career-high with 14 rebounds, nine on the offensive end. Freshman Quincy Pondexter had all 15 of his points in the second half.
But even more impressive than what Hawes and Brockman did on offense was the job they did against LSU star Glen ”Big Baby” Davis, the reigning Southeastern Conference Player of the Year. Averaging 20 points on 52 percent shooting entering the game, Davis finished with eight points on 3-for-11 shooting as Washington showed it was just as capable of playing a physical game as a finesse, fast-paced one. The point total snapped a 48-game streak of double-digit scoring games for Davis, who was continually collapsed upon when he got the ball in the post.
“Our front line, I hate to brag on them, but they were impressive,” Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said. “They were pretty good tonight. Spencer displayed a lot of offense and helped clog up the middle, but Jon Brockman, for him to battle Glen Davis the way he did, that was something that was really, really special. Anyone who doubts Jon Brockman and wonders where the hype is, there it is.”
“From six-to-eight feet from the goal, we got it handed to us,” LSU coach John Brady said. “Hawes and Brockman showed our guys what it is all about to play hard the whole time. … Those guys beat us every which way possible. That has not happened to us in a long time. We got it handed to us tonight by those two guys.”
The one-sidedness of the game – the Huskies led by double figures for the last three-quarters of the game – was even more surprising given that the only other time Washington played a game against a national-caliber opponent this season, it lost by 20 to Gonzaga. This team, though, looked like a different squad, one capable of being a legitimate Final Four contender.
Washington’s point total was more than LSU allowed in any of its games during its Final Four run last year. The Tigers came into the game allowing just 57.6 points, but the Huskies had 50 by halftime. Both Hawes and Brockman had 14 points and seven rebounds by the end of the first half.
“I knew coming in I had a height advantage and coach was saying don’t get too fancy with your moves, just go with what works, go with your hooks, your bread and butter,” Hawes said. “Early on that was effective and when they started playing that, I had to go to my counters.”
Hawes’ night started well, as he blocked Davis on LSU’s first shot of the game. Brockman scored nine points in a 13-2 run that gave the Huskies a 15-6 lead and a three-point play by Brockman made it 39-20. The Huskies scored on seven of their first nine second-half possessions, including two long jump shots by Hawes, to continually hold off any LSU challenge. The Tigers pulled to 64-53 with 14:04 to play but Brockman and Hawes made back-to-back buckets to spark an 11-0 run to give Washington a 22-point lead.
“A lot of times Spencer got the ball down low and I just wanted to get the heck out of there,” said Brockman, sporting a cut under his left eye from a Davis scratch. “He was hitting, I don’t know how many baskets he got in a row, it felt like he got 40 in a row. He can do that. He’s a great post player.”
“These are the ones you like when you really get to test yourself,” Hawes said. “Tonight I came out and tried to do everything I could to help my team, and I think I did a pretty good job of it.”
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