SEATTLE — Even in defeat, University of Washington women’s basketball coach Tia Jackson was pleased with her team’s effort against undefeated Kansas State on Tuesday night and encouraged heading into the Huskies’ Pacific-10 Conference opener on Saturday.
“I think we played a very good team doggone well,” Jackson said, moments after the Huskies fell 73-60 to the visiting Wildcats, who improved to 12-0. “We were a couple of missed layups away from keeping that game extremely close.”
Even in the late moments, with the Huskies facing a double-digit deficit, they kept battling. Back-to-back 3-pointers by backup guard Michelle Augustavo pulled Washington within six points, 66-60, inside the final minute.
Kansas State then scored the game’s final seven points, all from the free throw line.
“We continued to compete,” Jackson said. “I think Kansas State wanted to sub in their reserves right away and save their (starting) players, but they couldn’t do that against us, no way. I think our players, for the most part, competed their little tails off.”
Next up for Washington, which fell to 4-6, is the team’s conference opener on Saturday. The Huskies host Washington State in a 1 p.m. game at Bank of America Arena.
“I’m excited about where we’re headed going into Pac-10 play,” Jackson said. “I know the record is probably not indicative of that, but I think we’ve got a lot to show this Pac-10 Conference. … I think we’re extremely prepared to go into this conference.”
The Huskies had a few new wrinkles for Tuesday’s game. First, Jackson shuffled her starting lineup, inserting point guard Christina Rozier for Monroe’s Sarah Morton and forward Lydia Young for Oak Harbor’s Heidi McNeill.
Rozier and Young “have earned that right to be on the floor,” Jackson said.
Also, Tuesday’s game was the first appearance of the 2008-09 season for touted freshman forward Liz Lay, who missed the season’s first nine games after microfracture surgery on her right knee. The injury occurred during her senior high school season in Oklahoma City.
The burly 6-foot-1 Lay, who drew recruiting interest from Kansas State, played just eight minutes, but finished with five points and two rebounds. She might have had seven points, but had her first field goal taken away on a dubious traveling call after a dandy spin move into the key.
“She’s still not 100 percent,” Jackson said. “But I’ll tell you right now, she can bang and compete against anybody, even at 65 percent. We were excited to give her a few minutes to get those first-game jitters out of the way, and to do (what she did) against the 18th-ranked team … I was proud of her.”
Kansas State never trailed in the game and four times had leads of eight points in the first half before Washington drew within three at the break. The Huskies came out scrappy in the second period, and after six minutes were within 37-35 with possession, giving them a chance to tie the score or perhaps take the lead.
Instead, Lay was called for a charging foul and Kansas State countered with two free throws at the other end.
On their next possession, the Huskies had three layin attempts that failed to drop and the Wildcats took the ball the other way for a quick field goal. Washington managed a field goal in reply, but from there the visitors pulled away.
Kansas State was led by a trio of standouts that gave the Huskies fits inside and outside. Forward Ashley Sweat led all scorers with 22 points and snagged seven rebounds, while forward Marlies Gipson had 17 points and six blocked shots.
But the star of the game was guard Shalee Lehning, a senior, who had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. It was her second triple-double of the season and the fourth of her career, the latter a Big 12 Conference record.
“You’re blessed and gifted to have a player like Shalee in your program,” said Kansas State coach Deb Patterson. “She really can do it all.”
The game was the second of a two-game swing to the Pacific Northwest for the Wildcats. Kansas State visited Pullman on Sunday and defeated Washington State 74-58.
Washington was led by freshman guard Kristi Kingma of Mill Creek, who had 14 points, and junior guard Sami Whitcomb, who added 13.
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