Washington looks to get back on track, faces Montana State

Field Level Media|published: Mon 4th December, 22:48 2023

Nov 19, 2023; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Washington Huskies forward Keion Brooks Jr. (1) dunks against the San Diego State Aztecs during the second half at T-Mobile Arena. credits: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Washington is off to an inconsistent start and will attempt to find a rhythm when it faces Montana State on Tuesday night in Seattle.

The Huskies (4-3) have dropped three of their past five games but don't play another game outside of Seattle until their Pac-12 opener against Colorado on Dec. 29. One of the Seattle games will be against No. 7 Gonzaga on Saturday.

But first, Washington is worried about Montana State (3-4), a pesky Big Sky program that has played in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments.

The Huskies were unable to make enough plays during Saturday's 86-81 loss to Colorado State in the Las Vegas Invitational.

"It was like a heavyweight fight," Washington coach Mike Hopkins said afterward. "We've been in a few of these late in the game.

"To get to the next step, we're close. ... At the end of the day, we've got to rebound better and we've got to defend better at the end."

Keion Brooks Jr. leads the Huskies in scoring (21.9 points per game) and rebounding (8.1 boards per game). Sahvir Wheeler contributes averages of 16.5 points and a team-best 7.2 assists, while Moses Wood has knocked down a team-high 16 3-pointers while averaging 10.9 points.

Wood had season bests of 21 points, eight rebounds and five 3-pointers against Colorado State. Brooks added 20 points.

Montana State is attempting to beat a Pac-12 team for the second time this season. The Bobcats defeated host Cal 63-60 on Nov. 16 behind a career-high 26 points from Brandon Walker.

The victory was Montana State's first over a Power Five program since producing a 95-90 win over Washington State on Dec. 9, 2018, on a neutral floor in Kennewick, Wash.

Tuesday's contest is the first between the teams since Montana State notched a 56-53 win in Seattle on Nov. 24, 2002. Washington leads the all-time series 8-6.

The Bobcats didn't fare well in their last contest, falling 70-62 at home to NAIA program Rocky Mountain College. Montana State was just 7 of 31 from 3-point range (22.6 percent).

"We had a hard time getting ourselves going," Bobcats coach Matt Logie said. "Credit Rocky Mountain on that. ... This is a tough lesson for some of our guys to learn, but rent's due every day. We've got to play better."

Brian Goracke, who scored 14 points against Rocky Mountain, leads Montana State with a 13.3 scoring average.

—Field Level Media