Instant Reaction: Bruins Ruin Washington's Night

With a 12-point lead in the second half, the Washington Huskies were poised to break their seven-game losing streak. Poor shot selection and the turnover bug hit as the Huskies wilted again. The loss sent the UW deeper into the bottom of the conference as it dropped its eighth consecutive game.

Instant Reaction

The Huskies aren't comfortable with a large lead in the second half. Ahead by 7 points to start the second half, Marcus Tsohonis dropped in a 3-pointer and Isaiah Stewart dunked to the UW a 12-point lead. UCLA gradually whittled it away.

Washington had one of its best rebounding efforts at both ends of the court.  Stewart led the Huskies with 10 rebounds, including four offensive boards. The UW finished with a 33-31 rebounding advantage.

The turnover bug hit and the shots didn't fall in the second half, fueling a 22-point, second-half swing. The UW finished the game shooting just 1 for 9 from the field.  As noted by ESPN color commentator Bill Walton, if the game was shortened by five minutes, Washington would be a top 10 team. For now, the Huskies will have to be content in being a punchline.  

What We Saw

We saw the Huskies fall apart in the second half. Again. The UW's last lead came with 6:35 remaining in the contest at 51-50. The Bruins erased it with Chris Smith t 3-pointer.

We saw Washington mask its 11 first-half turnovers by shooting 50 percent from deep.  UW finished with 12 three-pointers, but only two in the second half.  The Bruins converted 18 turnovers into 25 points.

We saw a better rebounding effort by the Huskies as they pulled down 11 offensive boards to UCLA's 10. 

Turning Point

Isaiah Stewart drew a foul while backing down a UCLA defender. The Bruins defender appeared to flop, giving the home team a second infraction of this sort and putting Stewart at the line to shoot a technical foul. The officials next assessed Stewart with two fouls, his third and fourth of the game and sending him to the bench.

Key Stats

One could look at it that the game was decided at the free-throw line.  Washington hit just 7 of 11 while UCLA's made 18 foul shots. The Huskies lost by 10.  

Both teams were 21 of 51 from the field, had 13 second-chance points, and each had 22 points in the paint.  

Where Do The Huskies Go From Here?

Washington heads home after losing three consecutive road games, and eight overall. The Huskies will play Stanford on Thursday night at 7.  The game will be broadcast on the Pac-12 TV Network, KOMO AM 1000, the local Husky affiliate, and on the TuneIn radio app.

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The above video is Kaila's Keys.  How do you think she did?