Huskies Hang Tough Against Big Bruiser Maryland, Pull Upset

Danny Sprinkle's UW team showed up ready to play a physical game.

Mekhi Mason fires up a jumper during Thursday night's UW-Maryland game. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Big Ten basketball, all old-school elbows and guys hitting the deck, arrived at Alaska Airlines Arena from the eastern half of the country in the form of the Maryland Terrapins, for a first-time meeting anywhere with a University of Washington basketball team.

It was not supposed to go well for Danny Sprinkle's guys.

Yet on Thursday night, the Huskies proved tough enough for this sort of big-boy conference match-up -- and they were good enough.

After a tightly played 35 minutes, and briefly trailing by as many as nine points, the Huskies finally adopted their coach's hard-skinned approach, took charge down the stretch and pulled off a 75-69 upset in front of an enthusiastic Montlake crowd.

The UW (10-4 overall, 1-2 Big Ten) played like there would be no more USC or Seattle U embarrassments any time soon on their home floor.

"It was more fun than rough," freshman guard Zoom Diallo said, welcoming the typical belly-bump Big Ten style of play.

Senior forward Great Osobor topped the Huskies in scoring with 20 points and in rebounding with 14, and Diallo came off the bench to chip in a career-high 18 points while D.J. Davis likewise subbed in and added 17 points. Maryland (11-3, 1-2) was topped by 6-foot-9 senior Julian Reese's game-high 22 points.

"If you don't expect to win these games, you might as well not show up," a giddy Osobor said in the postgame media session.

The UW not only picked up its first Big Ten win, Sprinkle was given his most satisfying victory as the Montlake leader.

"That was a great team, a top 15 team," he said.

Play was so physical and ragged early on by both teams, Maryland coach Kevin Willard pulled four of his starters at the 13:53 mark of the opening half and sat them down. He made this mass change after Diallo missed a shot, collected his own rebound on a hustle play inside and scored for a 9-8 lead for the home team.

Everybody went out of the game for the visitors except for Derik Queen, the Terps' sensational freshman big man and leading scorer. However, he got into foul trouble a short time later, was neutralized all game, shot a miserable 1 for 7 from the floor and finished with a paltry 4 points, 12 below his average.

It was a Terrapins sub, guard DeShawn Harris Smith, who finally provided some first-half separation when he scored on a left-handed lay-in and was fouled by the UW's Tyler Harris, no relation or name hyphenation, and he dropped in the free throw for a 30-25 Maryland edge with 2:14 remaining until intermission.

Harris-Smith hit a 3-pointer on his team's next possession with 1:49 left, giving the Terrapins a 33-25 lead and hinting they might be ready to pull away.

Osobor, however, scored twice inside and Diallo dropped in one of two free throws to bring the score to 33-30 when everybody headed to the locker room. Diallo seemed made for this type of punching-bag game. He gave what he took.

"My playing style is being physical and being strong," the first-year player said. "In the moment, I wasn't for sure going to back down or anything like that."

Maryland's Julian Reese shoots over the UW's Tyler Harris at Alaska Airlines Arena. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Just nine seconds into the second half, Queen momentarily came to life, took a big step in the key and laid the ball in for his only points, and Maryland looked like it was done messing around. Guard Rodney Rice followed his teammate with a baseline jumper at the 18:48 mark and the visitors seemingly had momentum with a 37-30 advantage. The Terrapins crept out to a 39-30 edge on Reese's soft jumper.

Yet the UW hunkered down and hung in there. The Huskies took their first lead of the second half at 45-44 with 12:46 remaining when Diallo dropped in a pair of free throws.

Guard Luis Kortright, the Rhode Island transfer and a New York City product, was made for this one, too. He came in and scored 6 points late on three inside field goals, the last one with 4:47 left putting the Huskies up by 62-58, for their biggest lead to that point

The battle was on. These teams went back and forth until 5:15 remained, when Davis sank a pair of free throws to give the UW the lead for good at 59-58. He would be a perfect 6 for 6 in those final minutes.

Marylandhad pulled within 67-65 when Diallo got stuck inside and looked to be in trouble. Yet he calmly flipped the ball over his shoulder to Osobor, who banked it in, got fouled and completed the three-point play with just 1:04 remaining. That gabe the Huskies a five-point edge and it was enough to finish off the Terrapins.

Next up for the Huskies is 22nd-ranked Illinois (10-3, 2-2) on Sunday, with the Illini coming off a 109-77 beatdown of Oregon in Eugene. It won't be any easier than Maryland. Might be even tougher.But now these UW players are all in with meeting their obligations, which means winning at home.

"As Coach Sprinkle said, 'The rent is due tomorrow,' " Osobor repeated.

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