SEATTLE — The Washington Huskies men's basketball team entered Jan. 25 with just one win in its last six games and an understanding that they needed to start winning to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

The Huskies took a massive step forward in hopes of doing just that and dominated the Oregon Ducks 72-57 at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle.

UW improved its overall record to 11-9 on the season and 3-6 in Big Ten play.

Five Washington players registered double-digit points in the victory and eight-of-nine player to see the court for the Dawgs scored multiple points.

"I thought our guys came out with a tremendous mindset tonight," Huskies head coach Danny Sprinkle said after the game. "Defending and rebounding and sharing the basketball offensively. That's one thing we've been getting better at. ... I'm really happy our team got rewarded with a win."

Washington wasted no time pulling ahead against Oregon.

The Huskies opened the first half with a 14-2 run, capped off with a 3-pointer from senior forward Jacob Ogancevic.

The Lipscomb transfer was one of UW's five double-digit scorers. He scored 12 on a 4-for-5 clip. All of his shots and attempts came from 3-point range. He also added two rebounds, an assist and a steal.

"I'm feeling pretty good," Ognacevic said after the game. "It's nice to be back. It was tough being on the sidelines, just watching all the games, kind of being on the crowd, not on the court. But each game I'm feeling more comfortable. ... I get better stamina each game, too." 

Ognacevic was responsible for two of Washington's six first-half triples.

The Ducks weren't able to cut their deficit to less than seven points in the first half and the Huskies went into halftime up 34-19 after a 12-4 run to close out the first 20 minutes.

Washington's 19 points allowed in the first half were a season-low.

In addition to the Huskies' stout defense, their performance on the boards was also stellar.

In the first half, Washington out-rebounded Oregon 24-15. For the game, the Huskies pulled in 45 boards compared to the Ducks' 23.

UW snagged 18 offensive rebounds and Oregon mustered just one.

Senior center Franck Kepnang and freshman forward Hannes Steinbach were responsible for a large share of Washington's success on the glass.

Kepnang had 10 points on 5-for-12 shooting and a career-high 14 rebounds to go with two steals and two blocks. He had an equal 7-7 split in offensive and defensive boards.

"Me personally, during the game, I just get so lost within the game that points, rebounds, (blocks), it doesn't matter for me," Kepnang said in a postgame interview. "The only thing that matters for me is what can I do to impact the win? Impact the game each possession."

Steinbach had an uncharacteristically inefficient night, but still put up 10 points (3-for-16 shooting) and grabbed 13 boards. He also dished a team-high four assists, swiped two steals and blocked a shot.

The Huskies were able to maintain a comfortable distance from the Ducks in the final 20 minutes of the game.

Washington's lead bolstered to as much as 20 points in the second half and Oregon wasn't able to get closer than 12 points.

Huskies sophomore guard Zoom Diallo scored all 12 of his points in the second half. He also had two rebounds, two assists and a steal.

Senior guard Quimari Peterson rounded out Washington's double-digit scorers with 12 points on a 4-for-8 clip from the floor (2-for-6 from beyond the arc). He had a rebound and three assists.

The Huskies will look to continue their momentum in their next game on the road against the No. 11 Illinois Fighting Illini at 6 p.m. PT on Jan. 29 at State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill.

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