Coach Danny Sprinkle has been waiting for his Washington Huskies team to break out, and he might have finally gotten it in Palm Springs, California. Through the first five games of the season, the Huskies looked like what they are, a brand-new team that is still learning to play together, but in a 73-67 win over Colorado State at the Acrisure Invitational, they started to show signs of more.
The Huskies shot 44.6 percent from the field, a step up from where they started the year, and a vastly improved 45.5 percent from three-point range. All those improvements started with sophomore Tyler Harris.
Coming off a career-high 27 points against Alcorn State, the Portland transfer dropped 24 to lead all scorers, boosted by a very efficient 5-8 from three-point range. He was also a force on defense, adding 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a steal to his bottom line.
After Sprinkle challenged him to show more, Great Osobor responded in a big way. Last season’s Mountain West Player of the Year dominated in all aspects of the game against his former conference opponent, posting 16 points, pulling in 8 rebounds, dishing out 7 assists, and bringing in 4 steals.
The Huskies also played with more discipline, showing plenty of improvement on both ends of the floor even though they saw tougher competition, committing just 13 fouls and 10 turnovers. That effort earned them a spot in the Acrisure Invitational final, where they’ll face Santa Clara at 1:30 p.m. PST on Friday.