Husky Defense Stays Connected against Stanford For Blowout Victory

The UW used a strong second-half effort against the Cardinal to pull away.

Turning defensive-minded, Washington's basketball team held Stanford to one of its worst shooting performances of the season in Thursday night's 85-65 win at Alaska Airlines Arena. 

The Huskies forced the Cardinal into 12 second-half turnovers, the last of which summarized why the UW was able to turn a two-point halftime lead into a 20-point rout. 

Sophomore guard Koren Johnson knocked down his sixth 3-pointer of the game after Andrej Stojakovic threw a pass right to Johnson, who sprinted up the court and then pulled up from the top of the key.

It seemed to be the theme of the second half — a UW player forcing Stanford into a costly turnover. The final score reflected the points-off-turnover comparison, which favored the Huskies 27-10. 

Following a convincing 12-point victory last Saturday against Oregon State on the road, UW coach Mike Hopkins felt the defensive performance against the Beavers could be replicated. 

"Our advantage was our speed and our disruption," Hopkins said after the game. 

Six different Husky players recorded at least one steal against the Cardinal, led by Johnson who finished with 3 — tying his  career high set against Eastern Washington and Arizona State earlier this season. 

Fellow guards Paul Mulcahy and Sahvir Wheeler each had 2 steals, forwards Keion Brooks Jr. and Moses Wood had 1 a piece as did Wilhelm Breidenbach coming off the bench. 

The combination of turnovers and senior center Braxton Meah hauling down 13 rebounds, one shy of his season-high against Arizona State on Jan. 11, gave the Huskies all the separation they needed to come away with a win Thursday night. 

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