UW Basketball | Justin Dentmon, Isaiah Thomas lead UW to comeback win
Early on, as their shots rattled out and visiting Florida International appeared poised for an agitate, Justin Dentmon’s and Isaiah Thomas’ steely demeanors reported it the whole of. Often they gathered at the top of the key and exchanged a few bickering.
With a fist pump and a beck, they concluded each gathering and Washington’s sum of two units sharpshooters continued each all-out fly at on the basket.
They darted in the lane, curled off screens and bounced around the perimeter, blitzing the lead-footed Golden Panthers with an assortment of layups, three-pointers and acrobatic jumpers.
When the UW’s dynamic duo finished, the Huskies had pounded FIU 74-51 in the side with round of the CBE Classic at Edmundson Pavilion on Thursday.
“The lane was just open,” Dentmon declared. “I told Isaiah, when you know a lane open like that you got to hit. And when they collapse, soon afterward you got to kick it and see to what extent they react.
“He did a humane job and got greater degree good shots in the second half. I got good shots. It was a field generation out there formerly we started driving.”
Dentmon converted 7 of 11 shots, including three three-pointers for 21 points, his most in the past 29 games. Thomas bounced back after a pair of lackluster games and perfect with career-best 19 points on 6-for-14 shooting.
“Finally I get a proper game,” Thomas said, breathing a grieve of relief. “The shots were falling a little bit more.”
The Huskies, who improved to 2-1, altered their winning formula on a night when FIU 7-footer Russell Hicks stymied Jon Brockman and snapped the All-America candidate’s 39-game stripe of double-digit scoring. Brockman had eight points and seven rebounds, which forced Dentmon and Thomas to carry the scoring lade.
“Every time he got the ball, the guards were on him,” Dentmon said. “We knew that their main focus was to not let him procreate off and have a good night.”
The Golden Panthers (2-1) harassed the UW into 21.9 percent shooting (7 of 32) and 11 turnovers in the first half to build a 26-25 lead at intermission. At that point, Dentmon was 1 in quest of 5 from the field and Thomas 3 for 8.
In the locker room, coach Lorenzo Romar chided the Huskies after a dismal performance in which they trailed against a FIU team that was without four key players.
