University of Washington
UC Riverside
Huskies Rout UC Riverside, 78-43
December 19, 2015 | Women's Basketball
SEATTLE – Washington defended home court on Friday night at Alaska Airlines Arena, defeating UC Riverside, 78-43. The Huskies used a 34-2 run in the first half to blow the game open and never look back.
Kelsey Plum led all scorers with 27 points, despite sitting out nearly the entire fourth quarter. The story was the Husky defense, which held the Highlanders who are normally an explosive offense to just 24.7 percent shooting (18-73).
Riverside actually led 8-6 in the early going as the Dawgs started by shooting just 2-10 from the floor. The Huskies would respond in a major way, however, scoring 34 of the next 36 points to blow the game open. The Dawgs got hot from beyond the 3-point arc as Talia Walton made the first from deep, followed by Plum making three first-half triples.
Midway through the second quarter the Dawgs led 40-10 and had turned it into a rout. Plum finished the half with 17 points on 6-12 shooting, while Walton had seven points and 11 rebounds. The Dawgs demolished UC Riverside on the glass, holding a 30-13 rebounding edge at the break. For the half, Washington shot 45 percent (14-31) and led 42-19.
After the break, the Dawgs continued to pour it on, outscoring UCR 20-12 in the third quarter. Plum scored 10 in the quarter as Riverside was not able to get back in the game.
The fourth quarter was a chance to see the bench and they held their own, cruising to a 35-point win. Alexus Atchley played a team-high 23 minutes off the bench, coming through with a career-best five assists.
The entire bench came through as Mathilde Gilling scored eight points in the first half, while Kelli Kingma picked things up after the break, making a pair of 3-pointers. Overall, the bench scored 25 points as all 11 Dawgs got in the scorebook.
For the game, Washington shot 41.8 percent (28-67) and outrebounded UC Riverside, 57-36. Both Walton and Chantel Osahor pulled down 13 rebounds to lead the way.
Next up for the Huskies is the final non-conference game of the season on Monday night. Washington will host Weber State for a 7 p.m. tip at Alaska Airlines Arena, before a quick break for the holidays and the start of the Pac-12 schedule.
