The Washington Huskies went on the road to Lawlor Events Center and lost 63-53 to the Nevada Wolf Pack. They started the game very cold from the field, fought back and took the lead in the 2nd half, but ultimately fell apart late due to poor offensive and defensive execution.

Washington’s main man Great Osobor was extremely poor, finishing the game with 3 points on 0-7 FG’s (0-1 3-pt, 3-4 FT’s). He grabbed 9 rebounds and dished out 3 assists, but offset those with 5 turnovers and 4 fouls.

Steve Alford and Nevada made an effort to double-team him on every post touch, which was very effective. Their length and constant harassment really disrupted Osobor’s flow and rhythm. Late in the game, after an easy miss, he tried for a steal but was too handsy and picked up a foul. It was clear he was upset and frustrated with his suboptimal performance. Danny Sprinkle will need to devise a plan on offense to counter teams from doubling Osobor, which has now happened in two straight game – and will continue to occur.

The Husky offense again had a ton of trouble creating good shot opportunities. Only two players hit double-figures: Tyree Ihenacho 13-pts on 7-10 FG’s (1-3 3-pt, 0-0 FT’s) and Tyler Harris 10-pts on 4-9 FG’s (2-4 3-pt, 0-0 FT’s). Ihenacho, in particular, was the only player who seemed to play well, especially in the 1st half- getting to the rim and hitting a 3. Unfortunately, he didn’t build upon his strong 1st half, mostly due to foul trouble.

The bench provided some decent production with Jace Butler scoring 8-pts on 2-6 FG’s (2-6 3-pt, 2-2 FT’s), Luis Kortright tallying 7-pts on 2-7 FG’s (1-2 3-pt, 2-3 FT’s) and Wilhelm Breidenbach pitching in 5-pts on 2-3 FG’s (1-1 3-pt, 0-0 FT’s).

Zoom Diallo had an awful night. He didn’t score a single point and racked up 4 fouls in 4 minutes. Freshman are always going to have volatile performances from game-to-game, as they’re getting used to the speed, skill level and physicality of the college game. The kid has a Mt. Rainier-sized talent and should be fine after a few more games under his belt.

Mekhi Mason only scored 3-pts on 1-8 FG’s (0-5 3-pt, 1-3 FT’s). He seems like one of the better 3-point shooter on the team, or maybe the only guy willing to take them consistently, so it’s a worry he hasn’t been good from deep early this season. Washington desperately needs someone to hit from the outside, in order to draw out opposing defenses and not clog the paint/driving lanes, which is quickly becoming an issue for Danny Sprinkle.

Opposing defenses not having to worry about Washington’s 3-pt shooting is affecting the front-court players like Great Osobor and Franck Kepnang. Those two love to play in the paint and around the rim, but when Nevada dropped multiple players into the lane both became unproductive and lacked confidence. There was zero space for them to work in the post and many Nevada hands reaching in to try and poke the ball away.

The Dawgs defense was OK, as they held the Wolf Pack to 21-55 FG’s (38.2%) and 4-10 3-pt (40%). It mostly came down to Washington doing a poor job playing defense without fouling. Nevada’s leading scorer Kobe Sanders, 20-pts on 5-16 FG’s (1-4 3-pt, 9-10 FT’s), took advantage of the handsy Huskies by posting up the smaller defenders or driving into the lane and drawing fouls.

In both games now, Washington has committed 20+ fouls. It’s starting to become a real problem, as players keep getting into foul trouble, having to go to the bench and wrecking their confidence and flow within the game. Danny Sprinkle needs to redouble his coaching efforts on defense and possibly get a referee into practice to show the players how to play strong, physical defense without fouling.

Next up for Washington is a home date against Seattle Pacific on Wednesday, November 13th at 7:00pm. The Falcons, coached by Keffrey Fazio, are currently 0-2 and have a home game on Monday against Dominguez Hills before the trip to Montlake. They have 3 players averaging over 10 ppg: Trace Evans (14.5 ppg), Owen Moritary (12 ppg) and Julian Mora (11 ppg). Looking at their roster, they don’t have the most size on the interior, so UW should be looking to get their big men touches in the post. It’s a good opportunity for Washington to pick up a win, further work on their execution and hopefully get the kinks out of their shooting.

GO DAWGS!