SEATTLE (AP) Quade Green had 20 points and eight assists, Jaden McDaniels added 17 points before fouling out and No. 22 Washington beat Eastern Washington 90-80 on Wednesday night.
Coming off the bench for the first time this season, Green provided a spark to a sluggish start by the Huskies. Washington had a season-high 47 points in the first half and the Huskies withstood every challenge in a foul-filled second half from the preseason favorites in the Big Sky Conference.
Outside of a few sloppy stretches, Washington (7-1) also avoided getting caught looking ahead to Sunday’s showdown with No. 9 Gonzaga.
Kim Aiken Jr. led Eastern Washington (4-3) with 26 points, while Jacob Davidson and Tyler Kidd both added 12. The Eagles pulled even at 33-all late in the first half, but Washington outscored Eastern Washington 14-2 over the final 5 minutes of the half to take control.
Washington’s run included a pair of highlight dunks from Nahziah Carter, both off perfect passes from Green. The first was a one-handed breakaway slam. The second a well-timed backdoor lob from Green that Carter threw down with two hands. Eastern Washington never got closer than nine in the second half.
Carter finished with 13 points as the Huskies had six players in double figures. Isaiah Stewart added 12 points and six rebounds before fouling out, and Sam Timmins scored 11 including the first 3-pointer made – and attempted – by the 6-foot-11 center since his freshman season of 2016-17.
BIG PICTURE
Eastern Washington: The Eagles were shooting 36% on 3-pointers for the season and it was the 3 that allowed them to hang around in the first half. The Eagles were 6 of 15 on 3s in the first half, including three from Aiken. But Eastern Washington went cold from beyond the arc in the second half, missing its first 10 attempts before Kidd’s 3 with 3:41 remaining. Eastern Washington was 10 of 32 for the game on 3s.
Washington: The Huskies decided to tinker with their lineup ahead of Sunday’s matchup against Gonzaga and started Jamal Bey at point guard with Green coming off the bench. Bey started Washington’s previous game against South Dakota but with Green in the lineup as well. The move with Bey at the point didn’t last long as Green entered after about five minutes and Washington was markedly better at both ends with Green running the show. Bey finished with 11 points.
UP NEXT
Eastern Washington: The Eagles begin a three-game homestand on Saturday hosting North Dakota.
Washington: The Huskies host Gonzaga on Sunday looking to snap a five-game losing streak to the Zags.
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