C.J. Wilcox scored 21 points, and Washington used one of its best defensive efforts of the season to shake pesky Cal Poly 75-62 on Thursday night for the Huskies’ first three-game win streak of the season.
Scott Suggs added 12 points for the Huskies, who play one more home game on Saturday against Northern Illinois before beginning a challenging four-game road swing beginning Dec. 29 at Connecticut.
Leading by eight at halftime, the Huskies (7-4) held the Mustangs scoreless for nearly 7 minutes early in the second half to build a 20-point lead and coast to the decisive victory.
Chris Eversley led Cal Poly (4-6) with 23 points, but the Mustangs were unable to pull off the upset on a second Pac-12 school this season after stunning UCLA last month.
Cal Poly had actually won its previous two games against Pac-12 competition after beating USC during the 2011 season and upsetting the Bruins. But Washington’s sticky defense and rebounding edge wouldn’t allow a third straight Pac-12 conquest for the Mustangs.
Washington pulled away thanks to its defense holding the Mustangs scoreless for nearly 7 minutes of the second half. Eversley’s dunk with 16:41 left pulled the Mustangs within 38-29, but Cal Poly didn’t score again until Eversley’s free throw with 9:52 remaining. By the time Cal Poly scored again, the Huskies had built a 20-point lead on the strength of a three-point play from Scott Suggs that started the scoring spurt and fastbreak dunks from Wilcox and Abdul Gaddy.
Aziz N’Diaye added 11 points and nine rebounds for the Huskies, who held a 30-17 edge on the board. Gaddy finished with 10 points, and the Huskies were far more impressive than last Saturday’s narrow win over then-winless Jackson State.
PORTLAND STATE 63, IDAHO STATE 49 — Lateef McMullan scored 20 points and Portland State opened Big Sky conference play with a win.
McMullan was 7 of 9 from the field and had four assists and four steals.
The score was tied at 28 at halftime. Idaho State pulled within one, 47-46, at 8:12 in the second half, but Portland State went on a run, increasing its lead to 12
WEBER STATE 74, EASTERN WASHINGTON 53 — Jordan Richardson had 15 points, Kyle Tresnak had 14 and Weber State opened Big Sky play by producing a well balanced scoring attack.
Weber State (5-3, 1-0 Big Sky) led 37-26 at halftime but lit up the scoreboard in the second half to eventually lead by as many as 27 with just under 12 minutes to play. The Wildcats shot 57.1 percent from the field in the second half, out-rebounded Eastern Washington 41-28 overall.
