Isaiah Stewart had 25 points and seven rebounds, Jaden McDaniels scored 20 and No. 25 Washington beat San Diego 88-69
Isaiah Stewart had 25 points and seven rebounds, Jaden McDaniels scored 20 and No. 25 Washington beat San Diego 88-69 on Sunday night.
The touted freshmen combined to score 10 points to start a game-clinching run early in the second half as Washington (5-1) won its third straight.
Marion Humphrey scored 13 and Jared Rodriguez added 12 for the Toreros (2-5), who have lost three straight games including two to Pac-12 opponents.
Stewart and McDaniels started to exert pressure on the much smaller Toreros late in the first half when the Huskies put together a 12-2 run to take a 41-30 halftime lead. After San Diego cut it to 29-28 on Finn Sullivan’s 3-pointer, Stewart scored five straight points to start the run.
The 6-foot-9 center hit two free throws, then finished a fastbreak with a putback off his own missed dunk, drawing a foul. The three-point play made it 34-28, and he finished off the run with a tip in of a miss by Quade Green.
Stewart had 14 points and seven rebounds at the half with McDaniels adding 10 as he drove the lane with speed and power.
They continued to spur the Huskies in the second half, combining to start an 18-3 run with 10 straight points. Stewart started it with a three-point play off a lob pass and McDaniel added a driving finger-roll and a short jumper after getting the ball back from a teammate following his own missed dunk. He then hit a 3-pointer to make it 53-47 with 15:23 left.
Hameir Wright hit a 3 and Nahziah Carter finished the run with a 3 and a driving layup to make it 61-40 with 13:22 left. Wright finished with 16 points and Green had 10 assists.
The Huskies overpowered the Toreros in the paint, outscoring them 46-28 down low, and outrebounding them 33-27.
All those paint points led to a 57 percent shooting percentage (32 of 56) for the Huskies. McDaniels was especially efficient, hitting 7-of-10 shots and 4-of-5 free throws.
BIG PICTURE
San Diego: It’s that time of year when mid-major teams take their lumps and the Toreros are earning their frequent flyer miles after playing at then-No. 25 Colorado and the now-No. 25 Huskies during an eight-day span. They now return to a more appropriate level of competition.
Washington: The Huskies again struggled with a less-talented team early, but showed they are taking baby steps as they fatten up on nonconference opponents before a Dec. 8 showdown with No. 8 Gonzaga. Stewart and McDaniels looked less like freshman than they have in several games.
UP NEXT
San Diego: The Toreros return home Wednesday to host Hofstra in what will be the first game of the Boca Raton Beach Classic (early rounds played offsite).
Washington: The Huskies will take the holiday off before continuing their seven-game nonconference homestand against South Dakota on Dec. 2.
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