Final Score UW-88 ASU-75
ASU shot very well from range as Trent Lockett, Rihards Kuksiks, and Ty Abbott just couldn't seem to miss, shooting 9-15. UDub on the other hand, couldn't seem to hit much of anything and finished 6-20 from behind the arc.
Matthew Bryan-Amaning went into beast mode and with the help of Isaiah Thomas, put the team on his back. MBA finished with 30 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal, and a turnover. The most impressive stat for MBA? 8-8 from the free throw line. That's how you do it big man.
I.T. finished with 19 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, and 4 turnovers. He had some sloppy passes into two or three defenders, trying too hard to get the ball into the post. He had another beautiful alley oop to MBA who one hand tomahawked it home.
Speaking of vicious dunks, MBA almost had a huge one over a taller defender, but the ball got a little free and racked off the back of the rim and the catapulted out to a waiting Justin Holiday near the 3 point line.
Scott Suggs was the only other Husky in double digits, finishing with 10. This included a huge 3 pointer late in the game that helped seal our lead.
C.J. Wilcox hit a nice 3 and showed signs of getting out of his slump, but his shot was still a tad off.
Aziz N'Diaye had an extremely unproductive night, managing only 4 points and 1 board. He also managed a nice steal and a block that ended up being negated due to a charge call.
Our ball handling was lackadaisical, to say the least, in the first half. We had 7 turnovers going into break, but finished with 10 on the night. UW forced ASU into 15 turnovers and had 10 steals on the night.
UW did a good job of keeping ASU off the boards, finishing 33-25.
Give ASU credit, they played a hard, tough game and did a great job of putting hands in our shooters' faces and using its 3-2 zone quite effectively. UW simply could not hit their shots, but thanks to great free throw shooting by MBA and I.T. (who finished 8-10) the Huskies found victory again.
The UW bench combined for 20 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks, and 2 turnovers. Effectively the stat line for Isaiah. There was not much bench production to say the least.
UW had some troubles on defense, experimenting between a man and a zone, trying to stop ASU's shooting and Trent Lockett's out of control drives that were rewarded far too often with foul shots rather than travels and charges.
What Needed Improvement
First Half Ball Handling
This is the second straight game UW has had a slow, sloppy first half. Sure they turn it around in the second, but these early mistakes cannot be afforded in big games and tournament play. Better control and tighter play is needed to keep our play up to par.
Bench Production
Once more we found ourselves lacking a really solid bench player. Venoy did a good job handling the rock and dishing out the ball, finishing with 5 assists and only 1 turnover. He was the lone highlight on an otherwise quiet bench night.
Outside Shooting
Not sure what has happened that our outside shot has dropped off so much, but without the shooting ability of Wilcox it seems as though the Huskies have really lacked a constant rhythm. Terrence Ross and Scott Suggs both hit 2 and that was as good as it got.
What Was Good
MBA
He has taken his game to the level so many of us have imagined and dreamed of. He did it all and was the big key in our win. He narrowly missed another double double.
Second Half Defense
Much better than the first half. I.T. shut down Abbott, holding him to only two shots after he took over the defensive effort.
Passing
Minus the sloppy play in the first half, UW passed well. I.T. and Venoy combined for 13 and Holiday added in 3.
Player by Player Review
Venoy Overton
5 points, 5 assists, 2 blocks, 1 rebound, 1 steal, and only 1 turnover. Overton was the lone spark off the bench for the Dawgs. His 5 assists really contributed to the game and gave I.T. a well deserved break. The duo spent less time together on the court than in other, earlier conference games when Overton was not completing the assists as well as he did tonight. Venoy looked much better, healthier, and tenacious on defense than he has in a while. He got up and personal in ASU's face. He swatted at the ball and drove the lane at times. He found MBA down low a few times and did a good job moving the ball and avoiding turnovers.
Grade: A-
Justin Holiday
A slow offensive night for Holiday. He only had 5 points on the night, but picked up 5 big boards. He was also the only non guard to have assists, finishing with 3. Holiday was fairly effective on defense and I remember distinctly, several plays where an ASU player was looking open and about to take a shot when Holiday raced over and put a hand up causing the Sun Devil to second guess the shot and move the ball around a bit more. He was 0-4 from range and like most of the Husky team, could not find his shot rhythm against the tough ASU defense.
Grade: B
Matthew Bryan-Amaning
MBA was an absolutely dominate force on the floor tonight. MVP of the game. His presence down low and ability to make shots and create opportunities for himself was huge. He went 11-16 from the field and 8-8 from the free throw line, a gorgeous sight. He posted up, did some spins, and threw down a monster tomahawk. The only thing he didn't do was take a jump shot. Though he had the opportunity a few times, he opted to dribble a bit, make a move inside and lay it in and it worked almost every time. He was one board short of a double double, ending with 9, 7 defensive, to top off his 30 point outing, a career high.
Grade: A+
Brendan Sherrer
Did not play.
Grade: N/A
Darnell Gant
After several strong outings, Gant was bound to take a step back eventually. Tonight was that night unfortunately. He played 10 minutes, the lowest on the team for the night, and only managed 4 points on 2-3 shooting. He grabbed 2 offensive boards, a nice stat, but that was about it. One of the pair of shots was a great play after a poorly called foul on the other end. It was an in your face to the ref.
Grade: B, only because he played low minutes
Scott Suggs
A nice night for the new starter. He went 2-3 from range and 4-5 from the field. He was the most successful shooter outside MBA. He ended with 10 points. He put down a dagger 3 pointer with about a minute left to seal the lead at 8. He still is not a good choice at point guard. He had a sloppy turnover near mid court when he was double teamed. He does not possess the composure or skill yet to bring the ball up under pressure. This could be a problem later in the season if I.T. and Overton get into foul trouble. To me, Ross seems like a better PG option as he is much more comfortable with the ball in his hand and has the confidence to move and shoot with it under pressure.
Grade: B+
Isaiah Thomas
Thomas finished with an unusually high number of turnovers tonight. He made some poor choices in the face of a different defense than normal. He forced several passes into multiple "coverage" down low that were stolen easily. On the other hand, I.T. was great once more. His points and effort were quieter than the past few games, but he did finish with 19 points and only two assists short of a third double double in a row. He picked up 6 rebounds for the second straight game and added in 3 steals to help negate his silly mistakes. His alley oop to MBA should make the Top 10 again, hopefully higher than number 9 this time.
Grade: A-
Aziz N'Diaye
Poor, poor play from the big man tonight. The zone really shut him down and he couldn't do anything very effectively. He went 2-4 from the free throw line and had one other basket to have 4 on the night. In his 18 minutes he only managed 1 rebound. 1. Not good and highly unusual. Even on bad nights, Aziz can usually get 3 or 4. Oh well, he is effectively a freshman in my eyes and freshman tend to have their ups and down. Thursday was up, Saturday was down.
Grade: D
Antoine Hosley
Did not play.
Grade: N/A
C.J. Wilcox
His shooting slump is looking to wear off a bit. He sank one 3 pointer and a nice jump shot from around the free throw line. Wilcox's shot looked a tad better and his confidence maybe a bit higher, but he still isn't performing at the level we saw at the onset of the season. He needs to correct whatever is going wrong as the Huskies badly need a consistent shooting threat once more. Holiday has been good, but Wilcox is supposed to be the specialist.
Grade: B-
Terrence Ross
Not a terrible night, but far from amazing. 2-4 from range and 2 rebounds in 17 minutes. He was above average on defense, but he had one silly foul after getting beat. I am waiting to see another USC or Oregon type performance from him. All the skills are there, he just needs to find a rhythm to unleash it with.
Grade: B
Final Thoughts
ASU played a tough game and we played the standard let down game after playing in such a huge game just a pair of nights before. UW did a good job holding off the ASU run and finished fairly strong. They have a week to prepare for WSU who is doing battle today with Arizona. An upset win by WSU would do wonders for our standings. Regardless of how other teams do, we need only to win to secure our spot at the top.
Links:
Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gySnv0LzKo0&feature=feedu
Montlake: http://www.montlakemadness.com/dawgs-ward-off-sun-devils-88-75/
Gohuskies: http://www.gohuskies.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/012211aaa.html
ESPN:http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=310220264
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