SEATTLE — The schedule called the women’s basketball game between Washington and Seattle Pacific an exhibition, but the faces of players and coaches on both teams told a different story.
There were the smiles and laugher coming from Seattle Pacific players and their coaches, the result of a surprising 75-67 victory over the Huskies at Hec Edmundson Pavilion Tuesday night. And the looks and statements of Husky players and head coach Tia Jackson showed that this loss, exhibition or not, was painful.
“It’s a wakeup call for us,” said the Huskies’ first year coach. “It’s a lesson learned. We definitely got knocked upside our head with a big brick and it’s time to open our eyes and see what’s in front of us and get ready for it.”
What’s in front of the Huskies is Saturday’s season opener against Kansas State, which begins a stretch of five straight road games before they return home to host the Husky Classic on Nov. 23.
“It’s definitely a big wakeup call,” said senior point guard Emily Florence. “We’re all definitely a little mad at ourselves. … We need to play at a whole different level than we did tonight.”
The Huskies trailed for much of the game, but took the lead on a three-point play by Florence, who stole a pass and went the length of the floor for a layup while being fouled. The ensuing free throw gave the Huskies a one-point lead with 4:35 to play, but the momentum from the big play didn’t last long. Libby Magnuson made a 3-pointer two minutes later that gave the Falcons the lead for good.
Magnuson led the Falcons with 17 points, while Jackie Hollands, who played for Washington as a freshman before transferring, added 11 second-half points to finish with 14. Snohomish High alum Daesha Henderson scored eight points and dished out three assists for SPU.
Both teams were sloppy with the ball, combining to commit 51 turnovers (26 for Washington and 25 for SPU).
Oak Harbor High alum Heidi McNeill led the Huskies with 15 points, while Katelan Redmon scored 14 and Sami Whitcomb added 12.
Contact Herald Writer John Boyle at jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more on University of Washington sports, check out the Huskies blog at heraldnet.com /huskiesblog
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