On the day after Thanksgiving, the Huskies decided to not serve leftovers to Howard University at the Puerto Rico Clasico basketball tournament.
Howard came out aggressive, physical and determined despite Washington’s depth and size advantage.
But the Huskies were ready and served a performance that featured some significant breakthroughs in this game.
Amber’s Back Like She Never Left
Amber Melgoza’s return to form was the biggest story of the night.
Amber Melgoza, the real Amber Melgoza, showed up and showed out against the Bison defense with a season-high 22 points (9 of 14 FGs; 0 for 2 3PTs; 4 of 5 FTs) along with 8 rebounds and 7 assists in 27 minutes.
Missy Peterson and Darcy Rees each played inspired basketball when the game was still on the line.
Missy contributed 12 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals in 28 minutes for the Huskies.
Rees Plays Big
Darcy Rees may have had her best performance as a Husky.
Rees aggressively put up monster stats towards a double-double effort against an under-sized but athletic Howard frontline, scoring 12 points along with 10 rebounds, 6 blocks and 3 steals in 24 minutes.
A Defensive Breakthrough to Consistency?
At the end of the first quarter Washington held on to a slim 15-9 lead and it was clear that the Huskies would have to dig deep to put away a very active and pesky Howard squad.
The Huskies led at halftime 37 – 24 after limiting Howard to 22.9% shooting overall in the half.
But the Huskies couldn’t prevent Howard from making six three-point field goals in the first half, a huge warning sign that the game was not over.
As we indicated in our game preview,
{[] Howard does shoot a very respectable 35.5% from beyond the three-point line
…
As far as offensive style, Howard is an excellent catch-and-shoot team, in fact, it is the only offensive category in which they excel (per Synergy), and it is also their most common offensive strategy.
It was clear the Huskies would need a stellar defensive effort and solid offensive effort to put Howard away for good.
Towards the end of the third quarter, Howard made its move drawing to within 6 points of the Huskies at 45 – 39.
The Huskies fought back with an old school three point play by Melgoza and a clutch Darcy Rees three-pointer.
After three quarters, the Huskies held a double figure lead again at 55 – 44, however, the game still felt as if Washington would have to withstand another push by Howard.
Fourth Quarter Lockdown
Howard started the fourth quarter aggressively with two straight buckets to cut the UW lead to 55- 48, single digits again.
Howard also began to halfcourt press and trap the Huskies, paying particular attention to Amber Melgoza.
In crucial moments of the fourth quarter, Melgoza faced double teams — and in some instances, triple teams — and showed her veteran savvy by keeping her cool and her dribble while probing for soft spots to either take the shot or setup her teammates to score. Amber was back and it showed.
The Huskies began to pull away and eventually dominated Howard down the stretch.
Washington limited Howard to just 31.0% shooting in the game while forcing 21 turnovers, including 15 steals.
The Huskies also held the Howard Bison to three made 3-point shots in the second half.
Overall, the Huskies showed defensive intensity throughout the game, not letting up even when they had double digit leads.
Factoring in the opponent matchup and the road game setting, it was the Huskies best defensive performance of the year
The Dawgs showed grit and determination and that is how Washington will reach its defensive potential this season.
GO DAWGS!