UW Basketball Team Looking to Bounce Back Against Montana State

The Huskies open a four-game home stand against the Bobcats, both coming off losses.

The Washington basketball teams hosts Montana State at Alaska Airlines Arena on Tuesday night with an emphasis on creating more opportunities to score, whether it be second-chance points off offensive rebounds or getting to the foul line.

The Huskies (4-3) did none of that in the final minutes against No. 20 Colorado State in their 86-81 loss in Las Vegas. Not only did the UW lose the rebounding battle 39-37 overall and 20-18 in the second half, it didn’t attempt a single free throw in the second half on Saturday night.

UW coach Mike Hopkins knows that has to change against MSU, which comes into the matchup off consecutive losses and will the first outing of a four-game homestand.

“We’re right there,” Hopkins said on Monday. “We’re close. We’re close. But we’ve got to rebound and it’s got to be a collective effort.”

The Bobcats (3-4) come to Seattle after losing to Long Beach State and Rocky Mountain by a combined 14 points, even with a pair of former Seattle-area high school standouts being key catalysts for MSU.

Tyler Patterson, a 6-foot-8 guard from Mount Si High School in Snoqualmie, Washington, has scored 20 points in two of his last three games. The junior shot a combined 10 of 16 from 3-point territory against UC Riverside and Long Beach State before converting just 2 of 8 against Rocky Mountain from deep.

Graduate transfer Eddie Turner, a 6-foot-2 guard originally from Garfield High School, has brought grit to the Bobcats that caught the eye of Hopkins in preparation for the game.

“It’s also prideful for the guys that have a chance maybe once in a lifetime, or twice in a lifetime, to come back and play," Hopkins said. "You have certain super powers when you come home and play."

In the UW’s losses this season to Nevada, San Diego State and Colorado State, the team has attempted less free throws than its opponents have made. The Huskies shot 36 of 56 from the line combined in those games while the trio of Mountain West schools made 69 of 90.

“We have to defend without fouling,” Hopkins said. “And then we also have to put pressure on the rim where we’re in that paint, being aggressive and physical as well.”

Keion Brooks Jr., a 6-foot-7 forward, has done his part this season to provide both the scoring and rebounds necessary for UW to win games. The former Kentucky standout leads the team with 21.9 points per game — second most in the Pac-12 behind USC’s Boogie Ellis, who has averaged 22.4 points — and added 8.1 rebounds on average in the first seven games of the season.

The problem is no other UW player is averaging more than 5 rebounds per game. Senior Franck Kepnang, a 6-foot-11 center, is second on the team with 5 boards an outing, ahead of graduate transfers Moses Wood and Paul Mulcahy, average 4.7 and 4.6 rebounds, respectively.

Mulcahy, a 6-foot-6 guard who missed his first game of the season against UC San Diego, scored 14 points in his return over the weekend and nearly knocked down a game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds against CSU but his shot rimmed out.

The former Rutgers guard played the final eight minutes of the second half with four personal fouls as did Kentucky graduate transfer point guard Sahvir Wheeler. Neither fouled out of the game, but playing with only one foul to give prevented them from potentially drawing fouls on the offensive end that could have sent them to the free-throw line.

Hopkins knows with another home game on Saturday against No. 7 Gonzaga at Alaska Airlines Arena, the UW can’t overlook a tough challenge from Montana State.

“Yesterday was all focus on how we can get better and putting our game plan together for Montana State," he said. "Every game on our schedule has a tough element and this one is going to be exceptionally tough for sure.”

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