Washington Huskies earn third win over USC at Big Ten Tournament 83-79
At about the halfway mark of the second half, things were looking bleak for the Washington Huskies as they trailed the USC Trojans by as many as 12 points in the Big Ten Tournament. However, coach Danny Sprinkle’s team went on a 14-3 run over the next six minutes to take the lead and eventually pull off an 83-79 win at the United Center in Chicago.
That moved Washington to 16-16 on the season as they improved to 3-0 against coach Eric Musselman and their former Pac-12 foes this season. As the Huskies played their fourth game with just seven scholarship players, Zoom Diallo stepped up in a big way.
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The sophomore guard’s breakout season continued with his third double-double of the season on a team-high 22 points with 11 assists and 7 rebounds, while he played most of the second half and the entire overtime period with four fouls.
Sprinkle also got strong contributions from Wesley Yates and Quimari Peterson, who posted 15 points apiece in the win. Yates added 4 rebounds before fouling out in overtime, while Peterson chipped in 4 steals, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists in one of his best shooting performances from long range, going 5-for-10 from behind the three-point line.
Freshman forward Hannes Steinbach, who was named to the All-Big Ten Third Team and Freshman Team on Tuesday, had been nothing short of spectacular in the first two meetings between the two teams this season, averaging 23 points and 20 rebounds against the Trojans this season. Musselman’s team came in with a different game plan that was largely effective against the German big man.
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Although it took every second, he was still eventually able to put together his 21st double-double of the season, extending his Big Ten freshman record with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Steinbach was able to get there in the final seconds after he grabbed an airball from Jordan Marsh and went 1-for-2 at the free throw line to give the Huskies a two-possession lead.
Earning three wins over any team in the same season is a difficult challenge, but the Huskies showed great toughness and resiliency, even as they were forced to shrink their already extremely short-handed rotation.
Freshman guard Courtland Muldrew stepped up when he was called on, posting 9 points with some timely shots down the stretch, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists.
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Now, the Huskies will have a quick turnaround as they’re set to face off with the Wisconsin Badgers on Thursday.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington Huskies sweep USC with 83-79 win at Big Ten Tournament