Brown-Led Huskies Tough Out 78-70 Win Over WSU

After respective injury layoffs, starters Daejon Davis and Emmitt Matthews Jr. returned to the University of Washington basketball team on Saturday to face Washington State.

However, things still didn't quite look the same. Matthews and teammate PJ Fuller showed up with their trademark long locks shorn, trying something new.

Davis, still favoring his injured shoulder, played in spurts, with Coach Mike Hopkins monitoring his minutes.

Leave it to Terrell Brown Jr. to offer some semblance of routine as he scored 21 of his 25 points in the second half to help carry the Huskies to a 78-70 victory over WSU in a highly competitive game at Alaska Airlines Arena.

This rivalry game, as it usually does, had a little of everything.

A spirited crowd filled the gym with plenty of red-shirted Cougars fans mixed into the purple.

Michael Flowers scored 20 first-half points for WSU on his way to a game-high 30.

Brown answered him with his similarly productive second half.

A technical was called on deep Husky sub Noah Neubauer, who didn't even play but ill-advisedly ran on to the floor.

A 15-foot jumper went in for 6-foot-11 UW center Nate Roberts, who usually doesn't launch them beyond a few feet.

Top that off with some pushing and shoving with 4.5 seconds remaining, with Brown drawing a technical and WSU's Noah Williams getting slapped with two of them and fouling out.

The teams settled for a state rivalry split, with the Cougars winning by the same score on Wednesday night in Pullman.

UW students are feeling a little rowdy.

Brown and WSU's Roberts go one on one.

The Huskies confer at midcourt while the Cougars watch.

Terrell Brown commands the UW huddle.

Mike Hopkins and Daejon Davis confer.

Terrell Brown helps Nate Roberts off the floor.

Matthews sat that one out in concussion protocol, the first miss of his college career that began at West Virginia. But not this outing. He had a much-needed 15 points and 8 rebounds in an electric setting.

"It reminded me of going back to my freshman year of playing Pitt and Kansas," he said. "You see all those people in there. It's a surreal feeling."

Davis, out three weeks with a shoulder injury, felt sore after shooting in warmups. Hopkins held him out of the starting lineup because of that. Yet the guard came through with 9 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals, giving the Huskies a much-needed boost.

"He showed so much grit and heart," Hopkins said. "Daejon can barely move. He's got one arm."

WSU's Flowers was the whole show in the opening half. The 6-foot-1 senior grad transfer formerly of Western Michigan and South Alabama let fly whenever he felt like it and usually the ball went in.

Flowers, a 13.3 scorer entering the game, had his 20 by halftime as the Cougars (15-13 overall, 8-9 Pac-12) headed to the locker rooms with a 34-28 advantage. No one else on either team had more than 6 points at that juncture.

Hitting from as deep as 28 feet or so, Flowers made the Huskies (14-13, 9-8) play catch-up nearly all of the opening half.

The Huskies were able to tie the game just once after the opening moments at 17-all, but Flowers let fly with a 3-pointer from the right side and WSU pulled away again.

Brown, the Pac-12's leading scorer waited until the second half to get going. Then it was his turn to make everyone watch what he could do. He seemed to thrive with Davis on the floor.

"He allows Terrell to be Terrell," Hopkins said of Davis.

Brown got bumped while scoring from short range and made the free throw as the UW finally caught up and passed the Cougars five minutes into the second half, at 37-36. They wouldn't trail again.

Wit the Huskies nursing a 53-51 lead, Brown scored six unanswered points on a variety off shots off the drive and WSU never recovered.

"They weren't going to let us lose tonight," Hopkins said.

The UW has just 48 hours to savor this one before hosting UCLA on Monday night.

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