No. 16 Washington Huskies Women's Basketball Pulls Ahead Late in Win vs. Pacific Tigers

SEATTLE — The No. 16 Washington Huskies women's basketball team was able to overcome a competitive early output from the Pacific Tigers and prevailed 75-54 on Thursday at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle.

The Huskies had an uncharacteristically inefficient night from the floor to begin the game, which allowed the Tigers to stay in the game for the majority of the contest.

"Pacific does a great job," UW head coach Tina Langley said after the game Thursday at Alaska Airlines Arena. "I love (Tigers head coach Bradley Davis). He really coaches so well. His teams play physical, they play smart. They did that tonight. I was  really proud of the way we responded to that. We're learning each other, we're learning our systems. You can see it out there. Sometimes we look so connected and sometimes we look like we're still drawing some lines. So in our head. And that's normal this time of the year."

Washington shot 4-for-17 from the floor, including a 1-for-8 mark from 3-point range, in the first quarter. Pacific connected on a 6-for-14 clip from the floor, which was enough for the visitors to go into the second quarter with a 14-12 advantage.

The Huskies steadily started to find their shot as the game progressed. The Tigers held a 22-20 lead with four minutes, 49 seconds left in the first half.

Pacific was able to find openings in the first 15 minutes of the contest with a physical style of play on offense. Often times, the Tigers waited until they were right outside the key to attempt to executive switches, which often creates a cluster of bodies UW had to fight through.

"I think our young women understand basketball, and we want them to make some live adjustments," Langley said. "I kind of apologized to them at the end of the game. Because, at the beginning of the game, there were probably some things we could have called live. But they're really high-IQ and they can make some decisions on their own whether it's an emergency switch or it's an offense we're gonna run."

Washington eventually adjusted and went on a 12-2 run to close out the first half, which resulted in a 32-24 lead going into halftime.

"I think we did a good job making adjustments with our (post players)," UW junior guard Avery Howell said after the game. "Not switching as much with our four's just to keep matchups. But I think our guards did a good job pressuring and then that led to a lot of transition, which was one of our main focuses for this game."

Pacific didn't lead again the rest of the way after halftime.

UW had four players score in double-figures. Senior guard Sayvia Sellers scored a game-high 17 points on a 5-for-13 clip from the floor (2-for-5 from 3-point range). She also dished seven assists, swiped three steals and pulled in two rebounds.

Howell finished with 15 points on a 5-for-10 mark from the field (2-for-5 from beyond the arc), seven rebounds, three steals and an assist.

Junior guard Devin Coppinger scored 11 on a 3-for-6 mark (1-for-4 from 3-point range), had five steals and three rebounds.

Sophomore forward Brynn McGaughy was the team's final double-digit scorer. She put up 11 on a 3-for-8 clip (1-for-3 from beyond the arc), had six boards, two blocks and two steals.

The Huskies will next be in action against Cal State Bakersfield at 7 p.m. PT on Nov. 12 at Alaska Airlines Arena.