Franck Kepnang, Washington wallop Montana State
Dec 2, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Washington Huskies coach Mike Hopkins gestures in the second half against the Colorado State Rams during the Legends of Basketball Las Vegas Invitational at MGM Grand Garden Arena. credits: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports Senior center Franck Kepnang registered 16 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots while posting his second career double-double and helping Washington to a 85-61 drubbing of Montana State on Tuesday night at Seattle.
Sahvir Wheeler added 14 points and Koren Johnson scored 13 for the Huskies (5-3). Anthony Holland was 3 of 3 from 3-point range for 11 points.
Robert Ford III notched 13 points and three steals for Montana State (3-5), which dropped its third straight game. Tyler Patterson had 12 points on four 3-pointers, Brian Goracke also had 12 and Sam Lecholat added 11.
The game was tight for the first 10 minutes before the Huskies erupted with a 20-2 spurt to open up a 17-point advantage. The lead topped out at 33 points.
Washington connected on 52.5 percent from the field, including 8 of 16 from 3-point range.
The Bobcats hit 38.9 percent of their attempts and were 9 of 31 (29 percent) from behind the arc. Montana State committed 18 turnovers and was outrebounded 44-26.
Montana State trailed by 17 early in the second half before Washington delivered the knockout punch with a 14-2 burst.
Paul Mulcahy and Holland finished the run with 3-pointers to give the Huskies a 63-34 advantage with 13:43 left in the game.
Mulcahy hit a layup to push the lead over 30 at 69-38 with 11:03 remaining, and the Huskies cruised to the finish.
Keion Brooks Jr. and Johnson had nine points apiece as Washington led 43-28 at the break. Patterson scored nine in the half for the Bobcats.
Montana State took its lone lead of the game at 20-19 when Goracke drained a 3-pointer with 10:03 left in the half. The trey capped an 8-0 burst.
Just 12 seconds later, Johnson hit a jumper to put the Huskies back in the lead. It also was the start of the 20-2 surge.
Johnson hit another jumper to end a string of 15 straight Washington points to make it 39-22 with 2:56 remaining in the half.
—Field Level Media
Related
The Most Memorable Halloween Moments in Sports History
The NBA Blew Its Chance to Stand Up for the WNBA
MLB's Lockout Could Turn Baseball's Offseason Into a Farce
- UFC Vegas 123 Predictions: Renato Moicano vs. Tom Nolan and Best Bets
- College Football Picks: Arizona-Texas Tech, Florida-Georgia and Ohio State-USC
- UFC Fight Night Underdog Pick: Julian Erosa (+150) vs. JeongYeong Lee
- NBA Best Bets: Wizards, Pistons and Rockets Highlight Friday's Picks
- College Football Playoff Odds: LSU Overrated, Ole Miss Underrated
- NBA Best Bets: Three Picks to Know for Thursday Night
- Packers vs. Panthers Best Bet: Green Bay to Cover This Alternate Spread











